Of Dogs and Bike Racing

On New Perspective

2010-01-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Ok...so on second ( or third or fourth) thought, my blog post of yesterday was pretty darn discouraging. Not so much fun to read about someone whining about how they aren't getting any faster....

I went on a group ride this morning, and aside from the bad (feeling intensity when you haven't done it for awhile, and even worse, getting pulled over by the CHP for running a stop sign...), it was good for me. It was good to see my friends, and good to get back in the swing of things and even better to get some attitude adjustment from folks (you know who you are :-)). One of the downsides of riding alone or in small groups with folks faster than you, is that it is really easy to get discouraged. Whether or not I actually AM getting faster (debatable uphill..), I will always feel slow compared to some folks who are more suited to it, and in many cases, training more than I have time for. It is good to be reminded that we all have our strengths and weaknesses, and that I shouldn't be so quick to give up when it doesn't look like things are going my way. :-)

Thanks, guys! It was good to see everyone this morning, and good to feel the draft again, and get the adrenaline going a bit. The world seems a bit sunnier (even though it was foggy today...)

I also feel lucky that I didn't get a ticket, although of course I was as guilty as the next person. Watch out, cyclists! It doesn't take that much effort to stop at a stop sign or 2 or 10, and may pay off in the long run.

See ya out on the road. Ride fast, have fun, and be safe.

Kill me now.

2010-01-11T09:49:00.000-08:00

Many many years ago, when I was just a wee child, I remember learning that if you work hard, it pays off. Although that really is true to some extent, the other side of the story, which they don't quite tell you in the children's books and fables, is that life isn't fair.

I explain this to students when they complain about having worked really hard and not gotten the grade they wished for.
Disgruntled Student: "but you don't understand, Professor. I spent 20 hours on this assignment"
Me: "I know it seems unfair, but it doesn't actually matter how much time you spent on it. In the real world, if your boss asks you to design a bridge, you have to design a bridge that won't fall down....it doesn't matter if it takes you 2 hours or 20 hours or 2000 hours...although if it takes you 2000 hours you might be looking for a new job..."

As a professional, it is not about the hours you put in, but the output. This concept does not often seem fair, but it is the way it is.

And sadly enough, it is the way it is in athletics as well. I am really frustrated right now with my riding, to the point where I often question why I do it at all. I question everything, from why I ride, to why I train, to why I am slower than I'd like to be. I remember when I was in 5th grade track. I signed up for 'distance running' because it was deemed 'hard'. Why do I always put myself through so darn much pain? I was not good at it...but worked really hard to become mediocre. Same thing in high school cross country. I was not great, but worked really hard, and eventually made one of the all-state honorable mention teams. Every race was torture.

I have been climbing. A lot. The week of Christmas, I did OSM/Painted cave/ECC FOUR times! Well, three-and-a-half. ONe of those times I got to ECC and felt so bad I had a mini meltdown and just came home. I am trying to capture my inner mountain goat, only to find out that there just isn't one! I haven't been putting in as many hours--just not motivated to be in the saddle that much, the rest of life has become more interesting and important. On Saturday, I climbed Refugio, and camino cielo until the road turns into dirt. It was brutal. Even after all of my climbing training, and a bit of a rest while I was in the Bay area, things should have been good....but alas I was as slow as ever. My new Garmin said I was anaerobic for the entire climb. This cannot be right. 1.5 hours of anaerobic? Maybe my LT has shifted since I last tested it... I climbed with friends, and they all kicked my butt. Seriously.

And then, being my competitive self, I looked at the hillclimb results. One of our local superstar runners had dusted off her bike after 18 months (yes, she hadn't ridden in 18 months), and decimated the competition (well, except for Lyne Bessette....but I don't think she counts), posting a time the likes of which I will never see.

Moral of the story? Hmmm. Life is really not fair. I'm not really sure what that means for me, maybe just another point of reflection. The bottom line is that I'm too competitive to play this game when I'm out of my league. I don't like to be the person everyone waits for at the top of each hill, and yet I just don't have enough hours in the day (or the desire) to train 15-20 hours a week right now. I love to race crits because I am a power rider, and I think I can win most of the races I start. But this is because I am tactical, and let's face it, you don't have to be as cardiovascularly gifted to survive a 45 minute crit. And the slow twitch to fast twitch ratio in my body just seems to prefer the power stuff. The flip side is that I just don't want to crash, and a lot more crashes happen in crits than in hilly road races. So what am I left with? Riding for fun and giving up the racing? Hmmm. just more to think about. And I'm not sure I am ready to face the answer.

With that, I will head back to my other domain, where in the graph of time-in, to results-out, I sit on the happier side of the curve.

Happy Monday!

Reflections

2010-01-04T11:04:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time, dear Blog. Thought I would update, because it is a new year, and because I am frustrated.

I am a busy person. I balance a busy life: Professorship, (department chair currently), dogs, show dogs, an active lifestyle (cycling, running, pilates), a messy case of hypothyroidism, and usually do ok at it. I am actually happier than I have been in quite some time. However, every time I log into facebook and see another post about someone going to the gym at 5am, or training 25 hours a week, or climbing 30K feet, or a team email berating the folks who are not goign on 120 mile training rides with 10K climbing, it gnaws at my self esteem. Should I be riding more? Training more? Do I really have to do this to feel good about myself?

I haven't been going on group rides lately. I decided to try and climb more, and drive my car less, which means less car trips to ride my bike. It seemed possible, since I live right in the midst of wonderful riding. It is mostly working for me. I still have great riding buddies, I am still getting out, and I'm having more time to get my work done, as I am avoiding the extra 45 minutes in the car, or the extra 20 miles to ride to/from the group rides. I still will do some of them now and then, but for the most part I'm pretty happy with this plan.

And racing? Well, right now, I can take it or leave it. One of my teammates crashed really badly last year, and although I didn't know it at the time, it did affect me pretty substantially. I went on to race (and win) after that, but I really don't want to ever crash like that. There is a pretty huge luck element in racing, and although I love the adrenaline rush, I also love my life, and want to keep it going for some time! I am having a lot of fun riding, but as I will never be a mountain goat, the safer road races are probably not in my future. I am a sprinter.

Do I seem weak to the folks who train 20 hours a week, and don't see me on group rides anymore? Do I seem like a pansy because I am opting for runs or walks on the beach with my dogs and a 3 hour ride, instead of a 5 hour, 120 mile 'team' event? I think I am battling my own mind on this one...and as usual, I am my worst critic. I keep telling myself that I am enjoying life, and I have the power to choose to enjoy it, and it doesn't just mean always doing the hardest thing.

Happy 2010 everyone!!

A photo is worth a thousand words...

2009-03-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

We didn't win, but we had fun!

Mothballs 09! Photo documentation

2009-02-03T06:37:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, Photos speak louder than words. Plus, they're more fun. So here is the photo journalism version of my race report. Photos by Carson Blume (www.carsonblume.com).

At the start...I wasn't even there yet! (yeah, smart move...start from the back)

Early in the race...still feeling good, and working the front. See Jane on my wheel and Heather in the background.

Bridging to the break. Heather on my wheel.

Killin' it in the break. Serious suffering! (and tons of fun, too!)

Mothballs 09! The "real" start of my season.

2009-02-02T05:04:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the start of the SoCal road season, in the form of the Poor College Kids RR and the infamous Mothballs Criterium, which happens to be just about in my backyard!

I flew home from Italy on Friday, after 4 hours of trains, 14 hours of flying, 4 hours of waiting in train stations and airports. Needless to say, I didn't really know what time it was or where I was most of that time. In addition, the digital entertainment was messed up on my flight from Frankfurt to SFO, so I saw the same movie twice! (and only one).

So in a brilliant move, I get up the next morning to go race my bike! The road race was a W3/4, and it was a beautiful course (if you are a good climber). My race was slowy slow slow until the turn around (it was out and back), and then things picked up on the way back. The race basically all came down to the one long climb, which cracked my airplane-legs to a crisp. Ouch. I got gapped on the hill, and there were 13 people up the road. I chased and chased with another girl, TTT style, and buried myself trying to catch up. I just about made it. Got by the following car (once I got the driver's attention...he didn't see me and the lane was too narrow to go around on the outside without violating CL), but alas just caught on to the pack AS THEY WERE sprinting. Oops. 14th place.

Sunday was the crit! I am a better crit racer than road racer, even though the crits always freak me out at the start. This one was huge! They were running 1/2/3/4 all together, and the field was huge. I didn't have any teammates in the race, and some of the teams were heavily stacked, and I saw a lot of 1s and 2s so I knew it would be hard. My strategy was simple, ride smart, ride safe, follow anything that goes down the road, and go until you crack. My legs felt surprisingly OK in warmup, I think the Jet legs are finally flushing out, and I was fully warmed up and ready by the 3pm start time. I had seen my male teammates put in some superb results earlier in the day, and I wanted to do well, too.

The first couple laps were tame, a couple little surges but nothing much. I was just sitting in, surveying the field, figuring out who was going to be the action for today. I was hoping for speed, so that it would be safer. I love to corner and descend, so the faster the better in a crit. I covered a couple of little attacks, and then about halfway in, I was sitting mid-field when I saw a break go. I had a feeling it might stick, so I gunned it around the outside. I saw my friend Heather having the same thoughts, but she was on the inside. I hooked onto her wheel, told her I was there, and we bridged up together, both working hard. Yay! The break was now 7. I looked back and saw a big gap--no one else was coming. We organized quickly and started motoring. I knew it was goign to be a hard 30 minutes if we were going to make this stick. We worked well together, and I even won a prime, and lost one, too. Anyway, we were all getting tired near the end and I knew we had left some horsepower back in the main field, so I didn't wnat to let up. My heart rate was in the 190s most of the break, and I was fatiguing. I was going too hard to eat my gu, so I was also probably needing fuel at that point. With 3 to go, I really didn't want to get caught, so I buried myself. I pulled way too much at this point...but I honestly didn't know how much gap we had. At least no one can complain that I didn't work hard enough! Everyone was tired, and after I pulled the entire last lap, the others in the break managed to sprint around me. I know, I know, bad move....but I would rather get top 6 (which is what I got, 6th) and have worked hard, than to let up and get swallowed by a motivated main field. :-) Learning....after the finish I learned that we had a huge gap and there was no worry of the chasers. Oops!! Anyway, the girls in the break were strong and I was thrilled to have the legs to hang on with them. I was the only cat 3 in the break, and the next highest 3 finisher was 11th or 12th! I learned a few things today:

1. Crits really are fun, even when your race is at 3pm and most of the fans have gone home to watch the super bowl.
2. The ChickenRanch Skinsuit really is magical!
3. It helps to have someone to tell you how much gap you have on the main field
4. It is worth the effort to be in a break. Safer, and just plain awesome to work that hard.
5. Riding hard with the guys for the past year has really boosted my power.
6. My heart rate really does go to 203!! (ack!)

Road season 2009 is ON!

Ciao!!
(pictures later if there are any)

More Sorrentine Sites!

2009-01-24T08:58:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Cars drive on these little alleyways...and fast, too!

A Sorrentine Dog

Walking in the rain...Shopping is even fun in the rain!

Ciao!!

Ciao from Sorrento!

2009-01-24T00:24:00.000-08:00

Well, I made it to Italy. 21 hours of planes, trains, (buses), and automobiles! Wow! It is beautiful here...A bit foggy this morning, but it was supposed to be raining and it's not, so I'll take it! My hotel room as a nice view...

The view from my room :-)

I already had Pizza...and all I can say is wow, why don't they make it like that in California??? :-) I also passed a wine store on my walk...where you could buy wine by the liter out of barrels. They let us taste them all, too! 1.95euro per liter, not bad! And no, it wasn't like the wine my dad used to make in the basement...

Ciao!

Climbing Gibraltar

2009-01-12T10:44:00.000-08:00

Photo by Carson Blume

I just thought this was an amazing photo. We had a local "race" this weekend...a hillclimb up Gibralter, our local tough climb. Some of this area burned in a recent forest fire...and it was looking even more rugged than usual.

Nothing like an intense Hillclimb to jump start the season! I haven't hurt so bad since, well, the last cross race!

Ciao!

PS. Oh, and my teammate Susie won the overall, and I won the 'under-40' women's division. Yippeeeeeeeee.

Learning.

2008-11-20T13:28:00.000-08:00

It is always fun when you finally figure out something new. In my case, it was during my last cyclocross race when I finally learned how to 'leap' back on the bike after barriers. And even better when someone captures the event on camera!

"stop sucking, already!!"

2008-11-02T18:30:00.001-08:00

is the motto of the day. Ok...so you had to be there.

So this fall, I have decided to take up 'cross. Motivated by some friends who were always talking about how much fun it was, my desire to improve my bike handling skills, my desire to not get lazy/fat in the off-season, well, and just curiousity caused me to try cyclocross this year. I was a little late getting started...I just started practicing 2.5 weeks ago, but now it is all systems go! My first race was last weekend, but I had a busy week, and didn't quite ever get around to writing a race report. So today I have 2 race reports! I'll try to keep them short.

SpookyCross (Irvine): This was my first-ever 'cross race. The course was pretty easy as far as cross courses go, which was good for my first race. I took the line with a LOT of other women...Dot said it was the biggest women's so-cal cross race ever! I took off fast at the start, and got a good position, and then just rode hard. I slid out in one turn, and fell over another time when a guy crashed right in front of me leaving me nowhere to go. Nothing like a little dirt to make things fun. I ended up in 3rd place! It was really fun. My new training buddy and friend, KimL, got 8th (it was her first race, too). Very fun all around. There were 5 or 6 santa barbara 'crossers there and it was so nice to have people cheering and encouraging. And I've never gotten a beer on a road podium. Sweet!

ConvertCross (Ventura--Lake Casitas): This race seemeed like it was at home, since I pass by Lake Casitas on bike rides on a regular basis. Let me just say that the local effort was outstanding, and it was great to see people just coming out to cheer us on! Awesome. So I raced the 3/4's again. There was again a strong field. I didn't have a good start position, but on the first straightaway I used my road skills and powered around most of the field into a good spot in 3rd. I sat there for awhile, and even made it up to 2nd for awhile before dropping my chain. Not only did I drop my chain, but it got all tangled in my derailleur and was a big old mess. I did catch up again, and the girl in 2nd and I battled it out for most of the race. My turning still needs some serious work...but I feel good about the barriers and runups. I also was thrilled that I was able to bunny-hop a little log... ( I just learned how to do this a couple days ago...so it was awesome to do it right in a race, more than once!) Afterwards, I was so tired I had to just sit on the ground for awhile so as not to pass out. Another 3rd place! Yippeeeeeee.

Up and over

Battling it out

My cheering section was, well, in a league of their own! Marian gets the award, though :-).

Ciao!! (photos were taken by RTinney)

Nat the Brat

2008-10-22T06:32:00.000-07:00

This blog is called 'of Dogs and Bike Racing,' after all, so it would be good to occasionally put some 'of dogs' content up! Well, today, there is actually canine content worth bragging about! Little Natalie, despite her small stature, used her good looks, athletic prowess and sweet personality to pull out a huge win on Sunday! She was winners b*tch (it is what they call a female dog after all) for a 4 point major, and then took best of winners as well! She couldn't have showed better for me, and was so much fun! Plus, she has let her win go directly to her head, growing an insatiable ego that seems to have affected the 'manners' section of her brain. Although I can't be certain which dog did it, one of them decided to take a bite out of a cake on the counter last evening when I had folks over! I'm guessing it was Miss Natalie...

In our class...round 1.

Best of Breed Competition, Round 3

Finally the "win" shot. The "win" photo is the hardest part for me!

Welcome Natalie!!!

2008-09-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

Roclyn Natalie Attired

Since Linc died, Aidan has been lonely. He was pretty much never an 'only dog.' He always had Linc around. Over the past couple months, Aidan has been less energetic, more mopey, less interactive. I finally realized that he must be lonely. Thanks to a really great friend, who also happens to be an Irish setter breeder, Natalie came to live with us on Friday! Natalie is a 2 year old irish setter (who also happens to be Aidan's neice). She is beautiful and sweet, and has the silliest personality. She walked right into my house Friday like she owned the place, and has never looked back! She stole all of Aidan's toys, she chews his bones, and she tells him when and where he can go, and you know what? He loves it! He is more active than he's been in weeks! And he smiled more than a few times this weekend, which is something he hasn't done in awhile.

And as an added bonus...I have a show dog in the house again! And her personality is contagious! She is so darn much fun!

the things you hear on group rides...

2008-07-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

Overheard at the start of Worlds, a local Sunday morning group ride

girl 1 "I can't believe how lame professors are"
girl 2 "yeah, they sure don't do much"
girl 1 "I can't believe they don't even show up for their own exams! I mean, at least have the nerve to show up for your own exam! We have to show up!"
girl 2 "yeah"

At that point, I started chuckling, and stopped paying much attention. I was plotting a witty comeback, but then I got distracted. It was a bike ride, after all, and I started having fun playing around, and stopped wondering about it. I started thinking about it again on the way back, after the sprint, but I looked around for those girls, and they were gone. Too late...

I guess people really do think all we do is teach a class now and then and just sit around...when in fact the teaching is such a miniscule part of the job, it's actually laughable! Sure, sometimes we don't show up for final exams. But that is becuase we have worked our travel schedule so that we fly out AFTER the last day of instruction, so that we WON'T miss student time, to go to conferences, or to meet with research collaborators, or to recruit new graduate students, or to serve on national committees or proposal reviews, or meet with program managers who fund our research.

Oh...and to any UCSB students who might read this blog: Sometimes your professors race their bikes, AND show up on group rides! :-)

Luck...

2008-07-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I was feeling like I had pretty rotten luck today. But in context of a bigger world, my life isn't really so bad. I went on a 60+mile bike ride, my house is not burning down, I didn't have to evacuate, and I even found some clean air to breathe! And I'm at my house, and already thinking about my bike ride tomorrow....but when reflecting on it, my bike ride today was sort of a funny story, so I'll try to tell it with some sort of brevity (fat chance).

This morning I went on the 8am group ride. It was speedy on the way out, as is often the case, but I was having fun. I got dropped on the climbs, as I often do, but I wasn't last, and I was feeling surprisingly good, so I decided to go with the group around the Lake. It was a fun ride. I didn't just sit on the back, I rotated through, and successfully reached 'really-tired-but-not-bonking'. I was pretty sure I could at least hang on until the freeway, but then I got a reprieve when someone got a flat. In contrast to the guy in front of me, who was saying "damn, damn damn" under his breath, probably because we were no longer going to break some sort of speed record back to town...or because he had to be back at 11...or...well, who really knows. But I, was secretly kind of happy for the little break and time for my heart rate to drop below 180 (just a guess...I wasn't wearing any sort of data measuring device). Someone actually said I was riding well, and that made me kind of happy to hear :-). Anyway, I decided in the interest of not holding folks up, that I would ride on ahead while the flat was being changed (it was taking a LOOOONG time), and then they would catch me in a couple minutes. The only problem with that plan was that I got a flat myself, not a minute after leaving! My tire had a big cut, but I managed to boot it with a dollar and put it back together quickly (quicker than the other flat of the ride)...thus not making the group who had by then caught up to me, wait very long. All seemed well, and we got on the freeway. I tried to do everything I need to in order to stay attached when the hammering begins: Start up near the front, don't let a gap form, if you are going to blow up, at least have the sense to lead the guy behind up to close the gap you're about to make, etc. I did all these things...but when I did finally have to get out of the paceline or die, I rotated to the back, and just as I was catching back onto the forward line, the tire boot failed and I flatted again. The only problem was, that we were on the freeway, so my yelling went unheeded, and since i was the last one in line, fastly becoming the DROPPED one in line, no one heard me. So there I was, on the freeway with no way to change my tire (i.e. note to self--why don't you carry TWO tubes and cartridges...). Oops. So I made a couple of phone calls, but of course no one heard them because THEY WERE ON THE FREEWAY and it was loud. So I decided to ride the rim until the next exit. It wasn't that far, maybe 1.5 miles or so. I did that, and then when I got off the freeway, I realized that 1. I have no friends or 2. All of my friends are out doing fun things like riding their bikes and not answering their cell phones. I hope it's #2! I decided I would ride on the rim to the nearest town and go to a bike shop. That was going to be about 5 miles....and I had resigned myself to the fact I might trash my rim by then. I also was rather hopeful I would flag someone down. Although that plan wasn't working. Two cyclists passed me when I was thump thump thumping up the road, and I actually yelled and asked if they had any tubes, and they looked at me like I wasn't speaking english! Hmmm...Note to self: Continue your practice of asking people who look in trouble if they actually are. (maybe I look normal riding a flat tire?) Finally, my friend Olivia came to the rescue, when she got done with her bike ride and got my message. I applaud her for actually driving 20 miles to come get me, after listening to my rather irate message :-).

So a few hours later, one iced coffee, one veggie breakfast burrito, a little tire swapping, an attitude adjustment, and I'm feeling significantly better. I can even see the humor in all this.

Strangely enough, though, this is the thought that keeps running through my little mind: If you were a little bit faster, and not hanging on for dear life at the back, maybe they would have heard you and averted all this... The problem is, unlike fixing a flat(when you have the supplies), writing too-long blog posts, and inventing things, getting faster isn't quite so easy!

I guess if it was easy, everyone would do it!?
I'll be out again tomorrow morning in endless pursuit of my quest to become faster.

Ciao!

PS. And I'll be hoping that the weather cooperates and the fire can be brought under control. Speaking of which, I better post this soon, before the nightly power outage kicks in (the past 3 nights the power has gone out right around now..)

Drag racing...

2008-06-25T22:33:00.000-07:00

on a bike is cool!

I just got home from my ride and it's 10:15...but like I told my buddy Marian as we were riding home, I have my excuses all lined up for why I get dropped from the group ride in the morning...

But it was fun!

Marian and I went to check out the Fixed-gear Drag Races they have on Wednesday nights in downtown SB. It is a totally different crowd than those I usually ride with, but after Dave's fun report (see ChickenRanch Team Blog) on it last week, I just had to see what I was missing! Marian said it was fun, so off we went! She informed me on the way down that I had to carry the 'beverages' in my pack, because it was bigger than hers. She also informed me that she was more of a 'heckler' than a racer, so she wasn't going to race. I said I was just going to watch, too...but come on, those who know me know that I'm not one to let a competition pass me by without trying it!!

We get there....a side street in between a warehouse and a garbage truck repository. Lovely. It was dusk, and the riders were gathering. I felt about 15 years too old, and like I had the wrong bike. I don't own a fixed gear bike...so i had to just go in one gear on the road bike. They called us up for qualifying....and off I went. I'm not sure how long the course was...but it took all of 23.79 seconds for me to ride it in the qual round. I went pretty hard, but I didn't have the gear chosen exactly right.

In a few minutes, M comes over and tells me that I made it through the qualifying round. Ok...what does that mean? That means I get to race against someone else in round 1. Yippeeeee! Ok, so the guy I got seeded with is a 16 year old kid! It comes to our turn, and we start. I am in a harder gear this time, so it takes me a bit to get on top of my gear. I suck his wheel for a bit, and pass him about 2/3 of the way through. I win, and make it to round 2! I wonder how that poor kid feels about being beaten by a 35 year old 'girl' (I use the term loosely). On to round 2 . I start to get worried when I figure out the guy I'm racing against (Matt) is the guy who is kind of running the thing! Ack. Thankfully no one told me until AFTER that he has won the event before.... Needless to say it was no contest. By the time I got on top of my gear, he was too far in front to even think about. Oh well. My 60 seconds of fame were over shortly after they began. I don't know who won, because I had to start the ride home before the next round began.

Some of my roadie friends were out there....they really have to all get out and race next week! Unfortunately if they all race, my chances of making it out of qualifying will significantly reduce....but hey, bring it on! Dave put in a good showing, and the people were nice and welcoming, even to us 'roadies.'

Here's the video of me in Round 1, and Dave in Round 1.

I'm hooked! I could get used to these 20 second races.... :-)

Ciao!
drKim

ps. I need to get a video camera so I can record Marian's every move. It would be priceless...

Since we don't have a track...

2008-06-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

Sounds like fun!!

Ramblings

2008-06-09T06:19:00.000-07:00

I have awesome friends.

I had a business trip last week. A week in Hilton Head, SC. No riding, no forced exercise...I proclaimed it my "mid season break" after last month's VeloNewz' training article said it was a useful thing to do!

I hang out with a lot of athletes...people who are very driven and don't miss a workout, and feel bad when they don't ride...and I always thought I was one of those people. Until...

I was off the bike for 10 days. Secretly, I didn't miss it one bit. I was having too much fun working (yes, sometimes work can be fun), sailing, swimming in the much-warmer Atlantic ocean, playing in the sand, trying to get my phone to work in the hotel (lost cause--doesn't anyone care about contacting the outside world when they are on Hilton Head?), talking to people (networking?), listening to talks, giving talks, drinking (water and more interesting beverages--it was in the 90's (and humid) the whole time), eating at the Squat & Gobble, etc.

I rode my bike yesterday for 4 hours. It was fun.

When I got home...I opened my courtyard door to find these:

Oh!Livia said "because every house needs a gnome" and I'm guessing the teeny Jesus is there so I don't actually have to ride my TT bike to "see Jesus 4 times" as Mee-Wee-Uhn likes to do.

Awesome.

In Memory of Lincoln

2008-05-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

Wyttsend Loaded for Bear, CGC (aka. Leapin' Lincoln)

April 22, 1995-May 23, 2008

May he leap freely again with no pain.

Kern--The Rest of the Story

2008-05-19T13:50:00.001-07:00

Well, since I'm sure race reports will come out in due time, and there will be plenty of those, I thought I would dwell on some of the other "fun" that went on at Kern. Those who were there already know all this...and those who weren't will never really understand...so actually I'm not sure what the point is to all this, but...some Kern randoms:

On the way to the races on day 2, we had to stop for cows in/on/near the road. Not once, but many times! Here is a photo I took during one of these stops. Over the course of the weekend I saw: Cows, Calves, snakes (2, both alive and dead), spiders, ticks, squirrels, buzzards, other birds, heard frogs, a bunny, and an assortment of lizards.

Day 2's road race started and finished at a cemetary! Kind of eerie, and yet cool. This was just a weird day...on lap 1, at mile 2, we went neutral for a bit so a girl could stop her bike from making this annoying ticking noise (her speed sensor was hitting her wheel magnet....). Then, a few miles later, we (the cat 3 peloton) again stopped, this time to take a pee break! How pro do you have to be to take a pee break? It was certainly a race first for me... The follow car got a good show!

I have such mixed feelings about Kern which changed throughout the weekend. I went into it very excited. I had such a good race last year, and so much fun that I was looking forward to it again. My training has been going ok, and I really thought it would go better than SeaOtter for me. After the TT, I was pretty mentally beat-up. That effort took a lot more out of me than I would have hoped, mostly because of the heat, and it was hard to get re-motivated for days 2 & 3. In addition, I have been fighting some inner demons about racing lately, and they came back to haunt me on Day 2 as well. I am usually mentally very tough but sometimes things out of your control affect you more than you know...and I was a bit of a victim to that on Day 2. Thankfully by the evening, I had mostly compartmentalized everything, but was still pretty blown apart about posting a less-than-stellar hill climb, and didn't sleep well at all. Sunday I decided to work really hard on the "have fun" part, and try to be realistic about the results. This is against my very nature, and it is so hard. However, I think I did ok with it. I even sat up a couple of times to wait for others in my field so we could work together, when I got gapped by the leaders on a steep climb. However, that call turned out to be a poor one, as the other folks near me didn't have anything left, and I didn't want to be out in the heat any longer than I had to be! So I got 25 miles of solo riding to think and ride and bake in the 100+ heat! I got 6th at the end of the day, both in the stage and overall.

Here's me with the $20 (in fives) I managed to win :-).

And here's Susie, with the significantly more that she won!

And here's a shot of some of the Santa Barbara area women near the finish of the final days RR. We all look happy it's over!

After all that, I'm glad I did it...I just wish I was: 1. skinnier, and 2. faster! I guess both of those things are variables that I have control over, though, so watch out Kern next year!

Ciao!!

Kern Day One (or...baking in Bakersfield)

2008-05-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I survived the first day of my second Kern....it was hot and windy. I am kind of tired and dehydrated (even after drinking 1 recovery drink, 2 water bottles, 5 gatorades, about 5 glasses of water at dinner, and 2 diet cokes (ok, so the diet coke didn't help, but it sure tasted good...) so this will be short and sweet.

It was the worst I have ever felt on a bike. The temperature was well over 100, although I'm not sure how much! I didn't really want to know. And it was windy, too. The wind was so hot, however, that it felt like being in a convection oven (I can only assume that's what being baked feels like). Although on a good note, I accomplished the following:

1. Finished.
2. Didn't throw up (came mighty close though)
3. Didn't blow up/pass out/ride off the road
4. Achieved my max heart rate at the finish (201)
5. Ran a higher avg. heart rate than I thought previously possible without blowing up...
6. Felt like I was racing in a sauna
7. Didn't drop my chain this year!
8. Got 4th.

And on a great note, my teammate Susie won!!!! She has over a minute on me, and with us sitting in 1st and 4th, we'll have our work cut out for us tomorrow. Tomorrow we have a 50 mile RR in the morning (with 7 time bonus opportunities), and a 13 mile Gibraltar-style hillclimb in the afternoon.
(sorry about the image quality..the lighting was very poor in the hotel hallway)

Ciao!!

Twas the night before Kern...

2008-05-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

and I'm excited!
I'm sure this year will be epic as well.
My goal is to have fun.

Oh....and I'm feeling fast!

Ciao!!

(photos courtesy of www.photoscene.com/kimandsteve-Steve Weixel)

Waxing poetic...

2008-05-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

...or maybe just waxing.

Anyway, I apologize to my faithful blog readers (all 3 of you) for not posting in awhile. It has just been one of those months I'd rather just forget. The whole world has seemed rather "blah" and nothing has seemed worth blogging about! So maybe blogging about not blogging is interesting? (I think not).

So the month in recap. I raced a lot. I didn't blog about any of them. The short recap:
Island View Crit: Super fun until I crashed about 1/3 in, and my bike got messed up so I couldn't continue.....bummer. I got to watch my teammate have a fun race, though...

Ojai 3/4: A bit sore from crashing the previous day, and a 7:01am start time. I just wasn't quite feeling it, and didn't quite have the fight in me. I got 10th. (again, my teammate had a great race, finishing 4th)

Ojai P1/2/3: In order to redeem myself (or maybe just beat myself up more) I toed the line for the women's 1/2/3 crit. It was kind of cool to just BE at the starting line with such a large group of amazing women. So many of the big teams were there...that in itself was cool. I didn't have unrealistic expectations...my goal was to hang on as long as I could, and race until I got lapped. It was 100 degrees, and a hilly course, and my 2nd race of the day, so I knew it was goign to be painful. And it was. I made it through 35 minutes of the 60 minute race, and I was ok with that. It was actually fun at times. I made it a grand total of 6 laps before I got gapped, and I was ok with that, too.

Sea Otter: Let's just forget it ever existed. It was not an A race for me, and I knew my climbing wouldn't be in gear, and news-flash, I didn't have enough! The circuit race nearly killed me. It was demoralizing, and it was really hard to get up the next morning and do the road race (which was not a good one for me last year--even more reason to not want to do it at all). However, the RR went better for me. Although I got gapped on the climbs, I was able to chase back on in every case, and rode the entire race with the lead group. I only got gapped on the final climb up to the finish, when my legs proclaimed loudly that they were done with this climbing crap, and should NOT be required to do it any more. Oh well...I actually felt ok about this race, even though my result was still only 12th place.

I skipped Devil's punchbowl and the following day crit in the interest of having a weekend away from racing to find the joy in cycling again. The weather was beautiful in SB, and it would have worked out perfectly if someone didn't manage to take me out in Sunday Worlds! I mean completely and quickly. I'm back to form now, but unfortunately my poor bike is not! I am looking at new bikes today. And I've had a loaner bike for the past week. Anyway, I guess if you're a racing bike, it's not a bad way to go....

So Kern is coming up...and my expectations are different this year. I'm going to go and have fun. I know it is going to be hard, the longer distances in the 3s are going to be no picnic. But Kern has such a special atmosphere, everyone is so competitive yet supportive, it's just a really unique thing. I wouldn't miss it for anything, even if I'm not quite where I want to be form-wise.

Ciao!!

I thought SoCal was supposed to be warm and sunny?

2008-03-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

My San Dimas Race Report
Stage 1: The hill climb. So I am no climber. Last year, I thought I was a climber, but that was just because I didn't know how to ride on the flats. Now I have that figured out....and I've realized climbing is just NOT my strong suit. Not that I mind it or anything....but I'm just not the tiny speedy type! Plus, with my injury last fall, it is still pretty early season for me...no peak in sight yet. So my goal for the TT was to ride steady and hope to be in the mix afterwards. I rode my most consistent TT to date, so I was really happy with it. I wasn't happy that it was only good for 23rd place...but alas, you take what you got, and that's what I got! I should have been happier that the weather was nice.

Stage 2: RR. The 3/4 road race was supposed to be at 8am. The hotel I was staying at was only about a mile from the start/finish, so I just warmed up at the hotel, and rode over. This seemed so cool--to RIDE to a bike race. The only problem was....the start was delayed, and it was extremely COLD! I guess a park gate was locked shut, and they had to open it before the start. So we all froze. I was physically shaking by the time the start actually happened, a good 30 minutes late. It would have taken me a long time to warm up, except that about 1.5 miles in, someone slammed their brakes ahead of me, and I had to do some evasive riding to avoid causing the folks behind more issues, and nearly ran into a lane barrier. After being happy that no one crashed, my heart was in my throat and I was suddenly plenty warmed up! Ack! There went a match... Anyway, soon after, I said to Olivia, who was next to me "I have GOT to get out of this spot, this is terrifying," and with that, she sees a hole I couldn't get to, and is suddenly right up in front, exactly where I wanted to be! Damn, she's good!" Anyway, that was that, and soon I had my position settled again. However, the race would continue to go like that for me. Some of the teams were really organized, and I was just not picking good wheels, and found myself jettisoned around the pack more than I would have liked. I guess I need to work on reacting quicker, but I'm learning, so that is good. On the last time up the climb (there was a KOM climb in the middle-nothing too crazy, actually a pretty good climb for someone like me who can at best consider herself a power climber, and at worst not a climber at all), I got behind a bad wheel and had to use a lot to pop around her, finding myself gapped at the top. I chased back on because there was a really awesome descent, and I love to descend. That was when my "see your life flash before your eyes" moment occured. I was catching up on the descent...spun out, full on chase, and there was a spot where the road turns, and then there is a climb. There were 3 girls on the climb, going rather slow. They were all towards the center line, and I decided to go around them on the right, as there was no room between them and the center line to go left. It should not even have been close...but as I was approaching at high speed, the one girl pops and swerves to the right! I screamed something (have no recollection as to what) and changed my line, narrowly missing her as she realized what was going on and heard her say "oh,sorry!" I couldn't breathe or swallow for a split second...but somehow I kept pedaling and managed to catch back onto the lead group. Yippee! Thank goodness for all those mornings of hammering with the guys. Alas, as soon as I hit the back of the group, someone attacked, and a bunch of girls went. I was too far back to respond quickly and had to dig deep. I found a hole and bounced through the people who did not bridge, and then put my head down and hammered. I caught the lead group (one other girl bridged as well) just as we were in the finishing sprint. I didn't get to pass anyone, but I did finish with the same time as the leaders, in the pack sprint, so I was happy with my effort. I had given it my all, made up for some errors, and worked my a** off. 16th place. hmph!

Alas, when I toed the line for Stage 3 yesterday, it was anything but sunny in SoCal! The raindrops started at the exact moment the race begain, and it rained for the entire crit! I usually love to race crits, but racing with 50 cat 3/4's in the pouring rain was more than I cared to deal with! There were no crashes in the race, which was excellent, even when someone dropped their chain! The problem was that my glasses fogged up completely and I couldnt see a shred. With 2 to go, I decided to sacrifice some position to fix the problem. I had no pocket to throw them in (darn skinsuits), so I went back a bit, got to the right and threw them in the grass. Then I had to work my way back up to the front for the sprint, and never quite got there. Oh well...decisions decisions. I can always second guess myself, but at the time I decided that seeing was better than crashing, but I really did lose position and any hopes of a podium. Anyway, I saw this morning online that I got 14th.

So my results are nothing to write home about. I don't know my final GC yet, but it was 19th after stage 2, so I'm assuming it is about that now, as well. I did have a ton of fun, though, and learned a lot, and got a few more races in the experience bag. I'm chomping at the bit for Garrett Lemire and Sea Otter now!!

Photos coming when I find some!

:)
Ciao!!

Finally a Race Report!

2008-03-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

LA Circuit Race (is it still a circuit race when it is just on one road with 2 u-turns????)


A few of us girls ventured south for
the LA circuit race.  There were actually 7 SB area women in the women's
3/4 race today--a great showing by the locals!

I was feeling quite organized--I even left the house on time (ok, 1
minute later than planned) this morning.  However, due to a little time
loss picking up Marian (new cat 3 in the area) I was late getting to
Olivia's.  I knew I was in trouble when Olivia called me on our way
there, and there was no salutation to be had, only a terse "where are
you."  Oops...we weren't THAT late!  Anyway, we did finally leave the SB
area, after our much needed Starbucks stop.  In Starbucks, I asked
Olivia if she was nervous, and got "no....(small pause here), well, only
about not getting there in time!"  Oops again.    On a good note, we
managed to fit 3 people, 3 bikes, 3 trainers, 3 duffel bags o' random
stuff all in one small VW Golf!   We were probably the only ones who
actually followed the directions on the race flyer which said "please
prevent global warming and consider carpooling to the race in cars of 3
or more!"

We fit ALL of this into the car? How are we ever going to get it back in there...



Anyway, we did get there, and got out of the car only to be nearly blown
over by the wind!  Hmmm.  It was going to be a chilly day at the races.
Turned out that the riding direction was exactly perpendicular to the
wind...pure crosswind the WHOLE course.    As I was getting readyW3/4 ,
Olivia was following me around like the paparazzi--I felt so famous.



On to the race....the race was about as interesting as one could expect
from a flat road with a U-turn at each end!  There were about 30 women
in the 3/4 race.   Susan Farber was also racing for Chicken Ranch, and I
had "stealth teammates" Olivia and Marian.  As Olivia said...(based on
her inability to fit into the new kits), "she is just too big for the
chicken ranch britches," but can still be a "stealth chicken rancher."
(note--Olivia is a lot smaller than I am...so I'm not sure that this is
quite accurate) And stealth teammate she was!  She attacked on lap 2
because "the race was too slow" and I got to see who was strong when
they chased her down.  I was happy to block for her, even if she was
wearing the frog colors of Echelon  :) .   The race really came down to
the final sprint.  Marian attacked on the final corner, which was too
early, but managed to string it out a tad.  I had a pretty good wheel
going into the sprint, managed to time it better than I have all season,
but I still have some work to do.  The wheel I picked didn't quite get
me where I needed to be so I had to do some dancing and managed to get
3rd, still accelerating at the line.

Checking the results...and watching races in the background.


The rest of the Ranchers...
Susan Farber 8th
(stealth racer) Olivia Walling 14th
(stealth racer) Marian Hunting 18th

We stuck around just long enough to hear the race results and pick up
the cycle computer that I managed to win, and then it was back home,
with a nice stop in Malibu for lunch.    Good times...next up, San Dimas!

How'd everyone else do this weekend?

Ciao!

Too sad for words.

2008-03-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

Two cyclists (one an olympic hopeful) were killed in the Bay area yesterday morning when a law enforcement officer crossed a double yellow line and ran into them. A third is in the hospital. I was in the Bay area yesterday for some work events...it was a beautiful day, the kind of day where being out on the bike is a joy. My thoughts go out to the families and friends of these folks whose lives were cut short while doing something so many of us love to do.

Life is too short.

Cold Case...solved (with forensic analysis)!

2008-03-02T19:20:00.001-08:00

Over the past couple of months, people have been offering lots of opinions on my riding style and form on the bike. Now for those of you who know me, know I don't take criticism well, but I've been trying to suck it up and learn from those who have oodles more experience than I do! I've learned so much from my friends about riding and racing, and I really do appreciate it. I really have fun with my cycling buddies, and they keep me on my toes. However, it is not always easy. It has been frustrating over the past couple of months when my form came into question. After watching me race at Mothballs last month (and again in Arizona), the consensus from the gallery was that I was bouncing too much on the seat...speculation was that my seat was too low...and that I was spinning too easy a gear. I also offered that maybe my pedal stroke wasn't good...although I had been working on my pedal stroke, so I wasn't sure about that. I asked a few people about my seat height, and people gave all sorts of opinions, including this classic "it's ok to look funny on the bike if it works for you." Anyway, while all this has been going on, I have been slowly losing confidence in my riding. I did feel myself bouncing more, and just feeling inefficient. When gaps formed on the fastest rides, I couldn't always hang on. People would say "you're stronger than that, you need to ride tougher." (however, when I look at my data from those rides and see those surges into the high 190's...I was just not sure how much tougher I could ride!).

So yesterday morning, preparing for the Saturday AM group ride...I finally decided to play with my seat height. I was kneeling down by the bike, oiling the chain and loosening the seat tube clamp. I go to stand up, and I happened to put my hand on the nose of the seat to boost myself up. Low and behold, the seat flexed a lot more than I expected. I pushed on the middle of it, and it flexed a LOT. I decided that this needed more investigation. So I took the seat off, and then i could clearly feel that there was at least one crack in the plastic inside...it was flexing in a VERY bad way. So I am intrigued now, so I cut apart the plastic fake-leather coating, and sure enough, there is a huge crack right across the middle, and the seat is in 3 pieces, held together only by fake leather and the Ti rails (it is a specialized top of the line women's saddle)! Hmmmm.

Anyway, I swapped seats with my TT bike, and went off on my bike ride. This weekend's rides were the strongest I've had in awhile. No more bouncing, no more feeling squishy when I need to put power into the pedals. No getting dropped or even feeling close to it....well, except if you count the flat I got while rolling back into Santa Barbara today.

The embarassing part of this is that I think I've been riding with a broken saddle since I crashed in late November! I am guessing that would be the only impact hard enough to break this saddle the way it cracked. I guess this explains why my masseuse has been complaining about me being asymmetric....and why my bike shorts are all rubbed on the left side but not the right, an issue I never had before. The princess and the pea I most certainly am not!

I'm sure hoping my next set of races finds me in better form! (speaking of which, my race report from Az can be found on my team's blog)

Photos of the seat autopsy forthcoming when I download them...

Ciao!!

It's no fun being a "3"

2008-02-27T11:28:00.000-08:00

...at least a Female 3 that is.

The Ronde van Brisbane only has a women's 3 race on the first day. The circuit race, no luck. There is a women's 4 race that day, but nothing for the 3's (or the 1's or 2's either...)

The Cascade Cycling Classic only has a Pro/1/2 women's race.

The Mt. Hood Cycling Classic only has a Pro/1/2 women's race.

Oh well...guess I better get stronger so I can race with the guys. But by then I'd probably also be strong enough to be a 2! (that is, if there were races to enter so I could get upgrade points)

There's always Kern...

Ciao!

The Crying Game or Lust on a Schwinn (guest Blog)

2008-02-26T12:04:00.000-08:00

(I have a guest blogger today... who happens to write better than I...so enjoy!)

by Sadie LeSueur

Cyclists take a perverse interest in the details of other people’s crashes. How many feet did so-and-so slide? How much road rash? Did he cry like a guy (dry gasping) or like a girl (moist sniffling)? We rarely take such a keen interest in our own accidents and, in fact, attempt to de-narrativize them, probably to avoid humiliation. I was recently enjoying a good gossip about some crashes, and I realized that my first sexual encounter occurred as a result of my first massive cycling wipeout. I had apparently de-narrativized them so successfully that both had been long forgotten.

I was riding a Schwinn metallic yellow-green, banana seat bike with the white plastic handlebar basket decorated with pink and yellow Daisies. It was my first bike. I got it for Christmas the year before when I was not yet 6. My older brother and I got bikes at the same time, and he unknowingly tormented me by learning to ride it immediately while it seemed, in comparison, to take me forever. It was a heinous crime, and I cried like a little girl (wet gasping). His other early crimes included being able to saw a piece of plywood in half and being allowed to walk without an adult on our balcony, which had no railing. People imagine that children are innocent and pure, but this is a fiction adults embrace so that they can patronize precocity and pretend that they were once entirely good. In fact, I hated him with a pure and childlike hatred for being better than me at biking and sawing and standing at a great height.
I was cycling comfortably once a year had gone by. Times were changing; my mother got divorced, and a wiry man who resembled Ronald Reagan was trying to get her to marry him. (In retrospect, I realize that my mother must have been really hot because she gave several serious suitors the heave-ho, before she settled on my father, in spite of having three kids, 2 horses, 2 cats, and a dog.) In order to impress my mother, Wiry Ron invited our entourage to his race horse stable for the weekend. My brothers and I resented him instantly. His game was pretty obvious from the start. He gave us an elaborate tour of his large and empty house, and the race horses just ate. He was on the make for our mother and was practicing an artless, soulless form of bribery.

Wiry Ron conveyed my mother off somewhere, and my brothers were busy, probably throwing horse manure or pond scum at each other. The foul object wars began that summer. The arms race eventually moved on to leeches and other invertebrates and the things to which they cling. Left alone, I decided to take my Schwinn around the farm, which was criss-crossed with dirt roads that were dusty from the lack of rain. I headed out, down the hill from the house. I soon realized that there was a truck following me and panicked. I felt that I shouldn’t hold up the truck, so I began to pedal faster and faster. I gripped the hard plastic handlebars and labored on in a dust ball, feet helter skelter on the pedals like a crazed Raggedy Ann doll. There is a limit to how fast a 7 year-old girl can move her legs on a single-speed bike. I reached that limit as I made the sweeping left-hand turn at the bottom of the driveway. A manic comet of dust, I missed the turn and barreled into a ditch. I flew over the handlebars and landed entwined with the Schwinn. I did what any child would do. I got up and tried to act as if I just happened to be there. Discerning the difference between having done something wrong and having been the victim of a terrifying accident is difficult when one is 7.

As I looked up at the truck, I saw a tall, tanned man in faded jeans approach me. He picked me up and set me on my feet. He was mesmerizingly beautiful with sandy colored hair and heavy, dark eyes, and his skin glowed. He told me that he was Wiry Ron’s, 17 year-old son and asked if I was all right. I was too terrified to speak, and I tried to hide my bleeding elbows and knees. I didn’t feel the pain. I felt only the stinging humiliation of being exposed as a total wanker in front of this steaming, gorgeous god of a man. I sat in mortified silence as he took me back to the house. Even worse, while I was in the shower, he opened the door and leaned in just enough to put a bottle of iodine on the counter. I slumped against the shower wall in despair, a creature so lost to humanity that I didn’t even merit an “Excuse me” or a privacy knock.
I wasn’t hoping that he would waltz in and kiss me or grope me (please). I wasn’t in love with him. Romantic love is too advanced for a small child. If I hadn’t managed to go down in the maenadic frenzy, I would have stalked him secretly. It was a pure, childlike sexual attraction, impotent and miserably angry. I cried like a guy.

A pair of 7's

2008-02-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

Data from my 2nd race of the day

The blog lives! A new season of bike racing is upon us, which means that the blog can re-invigorate! I was supposed to be in a work retreat all day today...but I managed to escape it after the morning so I would not miss the first crit of the year, our local Mothballs!

My time was very limited today, so I had gone over earlier and registered for my 2 races before work. Then I went to the retreat, and escaped just in time to rush back and get a quick spin on the trainer before my first race, which also happened to be my first 1/2/3 crit as well. I was in such a hurry that I forgot my bike computer, which is all fine and good, but that meant I had no idea what time it was in the race! Oops...I was racing blind, so to speak, until the 5 laps to go came out! I just wish I had the data from that race...it was a blast. Everyone is so smooth, and fast, and knows how to corner, and it was fun. I was kind of sad I missed the key break when a couple girls got off the front, but honestly I'm not sure I would have been able to hand on up there anyway! I ended up finishing in the pack, and having timed my sprint a little wrong (I haven't sprinted since last August....), I wasn't quite there but pulled of a 7th, about 1/2 a bike length back. Oh well....room for improvement! I was pretty pleased with how my legs felt under me. They actually had a little jump when needed, which is good! It was a fun time for sure.
In the interest of good old training, I decided to do the 3/4's race as well. For this race, my tactics were different. I wanted to stay out of trouble, and work hard and get a good workout. So my goal going in was to be a player in this race, not just to sit in and let it happen around me. I spent lots of time up front, put in a few attacks, and chased down everything that got away. I was pretty happy with the way I felt...my legs were getting a little fatigued by the end, but overall I was happy with my race. After being way too far back in the final corner, I worked hard to get up there, but again the sprint timing isn't quite there, and I again finished 7th, this time it was just a field sprint. A pair of 7s. By the 2nd race, I had time to go get the computer, so I have data. What a huge difference between this year's race and last years Mothballs crit! Anyway, it was a fun day. I had lots of fellow Chicken Ranchers in many of the races, so there were lots of folk to cheer for, and I got lots of support when I was racing. It was a very fun day.

Echelon Santa Barbara put on the race, and they did a fantastic job! Congrats everyone!

Ciao!

on lame drivers.

2008-01-03T12:59:00.000-08:00

Leave it to a lame driver to put a damper on what was almost a really great ride today! There was a pretty sizeable group of us out this morning for the 7am, pre-weekend-storms lake ride. The sky looked a bit ominous...but at the same time, the forecasts looked almost OK for making it in time. We decided on freeway-first since it is no fun to be out on the freeway in heavy winds (unless of course they are directly behind you...). Aaron Olson pulled the ENTIRE ride, giving us a nearly 20mph average, which is pretty speedy for an off-season training ride! That guy can sure hammer! (so can his wife, too, I'm in awe...) I'm not sure, but that might have been my quickest Lake ride ever, even counting the ones I did in the middle of race season last year! I still feel slow on the climbs, but today all the speedy people came back down the final climb to collect us all up and we rode in together. That is a small thing that makes a big difference...riding the last 15 miles of a 65 mile ride as a group is just so much more pleasant than by yourself! Thanks, guys!!

The only damper in the whole thing was in montecito, where a driver nearly took us out. Some woman in a very large sedan made a right turn RIGHT in front of our whole group, causing some fast braking to go on. Me, by chance, being near the back of the group, was caught a bit by surprise at this sudden stop, and unfortunately my bike caught in someone else's rear wheel, and took out a bunch of her fancy carbon spokes. Ack! Nobody went down, but what a bummer... we tried to find this driver...but when she saw the cyclists coming, she made an abrupt turn and left the premises. Lovely. I feel really bad about the dead wheel. It was a new Mavic R-sys, too... I guess things happen, but ...

And then, on my drive home (in my quest to keep today under a Century, I had driven to the start of the ride), someone on the freeway changed lanes RIGHT into me, and caused me to do some serious evasive driving to avoid being sideswiped at 70mph. I felt like i was in a crit!

I feel like today just has some bad driving karma going on, and I should just hide inside for the rest of the day. Good thing I have a lot of work to do...

Ciao!

too much data...

2007-12-30T15:01:00.000-08:00

Well, I put the ibike back on the bike this weekend. I had been in a "no data" mood since my injury this fall. I didn't want to be depressed by the numbers, and so I just took all computers and monitors off the bike and rode because I like to ride my bike. But the data bug bit me again when the iBike wireless HR/Cadence upgrade came out, and this weekend I finally decided to put the thing back on the bike. My fitness is still on the upward trend, and the weight training is still tiring out my legs, but I decided to start tracking things again in the hopes that I'll see significant gains as it gets closer to the race season...

The good news is that they have really upgraded their software for Mac! I was pleasantly surprised that the interface has improved so much, and that you can do a lot more with the program. It still has limitations, and if I had a little more $$ I would just buy Cyclingpeaks and use that, but for now, this is ok. For example, here is my ride today. It was a spin from my house in Goleta down to "worlds" and then home again, on a slightly different route. As you can see, the final stretch coming back to the polo fields today was pretty brisk (a little past 2 hours on my ride...you can see where my heart rate was maximized...)!

I think I need a nap!
Ciao!

Holiday Memories

2007-12-25T10:38:00.001-08:00

Christmas is one of those nostalgic times. I was back up North a couple weeks ago, visiting my parents who still live in the great white north, and my mom shared some old photos with me, and I got a bit nostalgic. Although I am totally a California girl, seemingly switched at birth and forced to live for the first 17 years in the Midwest...I did have a pretty fun childhood...and here are some of those memories. These are the early years...note the presence of snow and winter in so many of them.

Christmas time, 1978
First winter in Upper Michigan (1978)
Yes, that really is a snowbank! This is the front porch of my folks' house! Yes, the snowbank is taller than I! (that year, it snowed 380 inches, or something insane like that). After the roof was shoveled a couple of times, the snowbank on the ground met the one from the roof, and you sometimes couldn't see out the windows anymore!
1979, fall. (Quincy Copper Mine Hoist in the background)
1979...my first dog...my English Setter, Louie (oh, and my grandma, little sis, and dad, too)

Anyway, I was up there to get an alumni award at Michigan Tech, so here's some more recent photos, too!

Getting my 1.5 minutes of fame at MTU commencement.

My dad and I while out snowshoeing.
And my mom and I. This was a silly sign I saw on the ski trail I had to pass by while snowshoeing. Check out all the icons! And I was happy to see that this was a "dog trail!" I found out later what that meant...when someone came by on XC skis, with a dog harnessed up! Skijoring is quite popular now, I suppose! Looks fun.

Yes, this is an industrial-strength snowblower cutting back the banks, and a dumptruck following along to 'catch' the snow!

Now, hence anyone get the wrong idea....it was fun to visit 'winter' for a few days...but it sure was nice to have the last 6 days on the bike, outside in the beautiful crisp Santa Barbara air...sun, no snow, (a little frost a couple of mornings) and the company of friends.

It is a Merry Christmas.

Ciao!

more weight-y thoughts.

2007-12-09T16:42:00.000-08:00

how skinny do you have to be to be a cyclist?
I was at a party last night where we were eating desserts and talking about weight loss..
Someone said to me,"5 pounds would make a big difference in your racing next year...now's the time to start making that happen".
I almost said "gaining 5, or losing 5?" because I discovered on Friday that i had gained 2-3 pounds since my weight training kicked into high gear...and of course I hope that training will eventually make a difference in my racing.

I bought a pumpkin scone at the Starbucks this morning when I was out with the red dog. I brought it home, took one bite, and then couldn't eat it. All I was thinking about was that stupid comment about weight loss, and how bad it was of me to eat something with little to no nutritional value and lots of calories.

I went out for my bike ride, which happened to be 'sunday worlds.' I didn't eat enough this morning, just sucking down a banana on my way out the door. I put trader joe's pop tarts in my jersey pocket.

I rode for 3 hours. I didn't eat the pop tarts. I ate one goo. I felt ill. I thought about being skinnier from burning many thousands of calories yesterday (did a really really long training ride), and then I thought about how stupid it was to not eat enough before going on a hard ride today.

And then I ate the scone.
And it was good.

Last day!

2007-12-06T06:43:00.000-08:00

Today is my last day of class for the Fall quarter! My class has a test today, and then it will pretty much be all over. Being in academia, I never really got over the concept of "christmas break" and "spring break" and I look forward to those times just like a kid in elementary school! I am looking forward to joining in the morning rides again, getting caught up on things that I have let fall by the wayside during busy times, etc. etc.

I am sure my reddog will enjoy the little break, too, as he has been in a bit of withdrawal since I've been back on my bike. When I was riding the trainer inside, he would lie on the couch beside me, often upside down, enjoying the company. But now that I am training normally again, he is really not happy with the extra alone time. He sees me in my kit, and he goes and pouts in his kennel. Poor guy. So I plan to make up for that with some long runs for him, too.

Now I just have to start my christmas shopping! Better late than never...

Ciao!!

9 Lives? (or at least 2 or 3...)

2007-12-02T06:59:00.000-08:00

My team had a loooong training ride yesterday. I wasn't actually sure I was up for it, but I thought I'd take a stab at it, as I knew I could limp home. I needed the climbing, and this ride consisted of over 7000 ft. climbing over 95 miles or so.

I didn't end up doing more than 50 or 60...but I can think of easier ways to get out of it than the way I attempted it! For those of you who can't stand the suspense, I sustained a high speed (~40mph) downhill crash and lived to talk about it! And better yet, I'm getting ready to go ride this morning!

The ride started well enough. I was having a nice time, and feeling good. I knew I was going to get dropped on the climbs, as my month off of outside riding really took it out of my climbing. But my endurance is still ok, so I can plug along, just putting out seriously less power than the guys. So I did finally make it to the top of the first 2 big climbs, and was looking forward to bombing down the descent on the back side going towards lake Casitas. Its a fun descent, and I enjoy it. I did it once last weekend, but don't get out there during the week. So I was looking forward to it. However, the road is kind of rutted. Also, previously I had gotten a flat front tire, and it wasn't inflated to quite full pressure. I was on someone's wheel, and having a fun time when my tire got into one of those ruts. It caused enough bobble that I couldn't rebalance, lost the front of the bike and slid out. The guy right behind me said he saw a small bobble and then the crash. In a split second, I found myself sliding and sliding and sliding, for what seemed like a long time but probably wasn't. I did slide a LONG way, however. I was pretty sure I was ok, but quite scared to look at the potential road rash..I got up right away so that people wouldn't freak out any more than seeing something like that happen does to you anyway. By that time, the people behind me had all stopped. Everyone was really good...asking me questions, making sure my head was working properly (it was). And surprisingly enough, I wasn't really hurt at all! I mean, my bike clothes were pretty much a complete loss, but everything else was just fine! There really is something to be said for the sliding crash vs. the impact crash... I actually considered continuing on the ride, but was talked out of that pretty quickly. However, someone had planned to turn around near that point anyway, so he offered to ride back to town with me (about 30 miles). I was feeling fine, so on the bike I hopped and rode home. It was a nice day, and aside from the fact that I was a bit indecent, with a good portion of my shorts missing...it wasn't even that bad.

Anyway...I do have some road rash, but even that is minimized due to the fact it was 39 degrees when I left home this morning! That meant I was wearing many layers of clothing. The leg/hip took it the worst since there was only one layer there, but on top, a vest and 2 jerseys were pretty much shredded, but my wool base layer is fully intact and there is not a mark (not even a bruise..) on my upper body! It is rather amazing (considering right after the wreck someone who saw the wreck said to me "wow, I was sure you were a goner" and someone else said "I was sure that was a 911 crash."

Needless to say, I won't be complaining about cold weather riding for awhile now...
And it was a freak thing, and I'm still not scared of going downhill...I enjoyed all my descents on the way home :-). And nearly 24 hours later, I'm not really stiff or sore, and getting ready to go out for a ride this morning.

So I'm beginning to think I"m a cat with multiple lives. I'm going to try not to test that theory any time soon, though! Wheel side down...wheel side down....wheel side down...

Ciao!

Confirmed

2007-11-26T09:55:00.001-08:00

that there is no Conquer the Canyons stage race this year.

Bummer...

I'm thankful...

2007-11-24T16:07:00.000-08:00

for lots of things: special friends, silly dogs, being back on my bike after 4.5 weeks, long weekends, blah blah blah...

However, today I'm also thankful for NOT getting a ticket on my bike! I've had 3 sublime days of group rides, and its been fun (and painful..). Thanksgiving day's lake ride is usually a ride I enjoy very much, but going for a long ride after being off the bike for so long, well, maybe not the best idea! It became all about survival mode about 50 miles in, when there was still 1 climb to go :-). However, thanks to my great riding buddies, they waited for me to drag my slow arse up that hill :) (thanks, guys...). It had been a LONG time since I had felt that slow. But I made it, and 2 days (and a bunch of miles) later, I'm feeling much more like myself. My legs still aren't quite dancing on the pedals yet...but it's coming back. And I can still descend with reckless abandon :-). At least no one has to wait for me at the BOTTOM of a hill! Nothing like jumping back in with both feet.

Oh..back to the ticket story! On the way out today, we stopped at the first few stop signs. After Marco's post about stop signs...there has been a little movement underway to do our part and obey the road signs on the big group rides. And in one small town, where we ALWAYS get followed by our friendly local lawenforcement, we also stopped at the stop sign. There is, however, another sign in that town, that many folk have been told that if they go on the far right of the stop sign, it is ok not to stop... but today it seemed to be not the case. Soon thereafter, we were all pulled over. It was a HUGE group, maybe 50+ of us! Anyway, they made us wait awhile while they decided what to do, and after a lecture (and determining that there was a bit of confusion about whether it was OK or not to go around the stop sign on the right...), they let us go with a stern warning. Needless to say we were pretty careful from there on out...

Anyway, it is GREAT to be back on the bike! Hopefully all my riding buddies will bear with me while I get "back up to speed" so to speak... So far, so good!

Ciao!

Yipppeeeeee!

2007-11-19T14:15:00.000-08:00

MRI REPORT

Procedure: MRI OF THE LEFT SHOULDER WITHOUT INTRAVENOUS CONTRAST

COMPARISON: None
INDICATIONS: Not provided
TECHNIQUE: A variety of imaging planes and parameters were utilized for visualization of suspected pathology. Images performed without contrast.

FINDINGS:
ROTATOR CUFF: The rotator cuff tendons are intact without strain or tear. No evidence of a full thickness rotator cuff tear.

MUSCLES: Normal
LIGAMENTS: Normal

LABRUM: The glenoid labrum is intact circumferentially

AC JOINT: There is a mild sprain of the acromioclavicular joint without diastasis or elevation of the distal clavicle

ACROMION: Mild downsloping of the anterolateral acromion (Type II configuration)

OTHER: There is a healing fracture involving greater tuberosity of the humeral head without displacement or distraction. There is a trace subacromial subdeltoid bursitis.

CONCLUSIONS: No evidence of rotator cuff tear. Healing fracture involving the greater tuberosity of the humeral head without displacement or distraction. Mild sprain of the A/C joint without diastasis.

11/16/2007, 15:51

What this really means is:

I NO LONGER HAVE TO RIDE INSIDE!!!! YEAH. No golf or swimming until January, but for now, riding is OK!!!

Dr. Ryu said my range of motion is excellent, and that it is safe to run/bike, but no weightlifting quite yet. And no crashing! I think I can handle that..

And just in time for the long Thanksgiving weekend!!!!!!!!

See you out there on the roads....

I guess I have to get a new helmet.

Ciao!!

53 minutes...

2007-11-18T07:28:00.001-08:00

...would be the time that it takes me to run a 10k when I have only run 3 times in the past year (2 of those in the past week), and re-convince myself that indeed, I have really NO natural talent for running :-).

My graduate student, Kari, and I did the UCSB 10K Turkey Trot yesterday. My goal was to run the whole thing, and to not get last place. I managed to meet both of those goals :-). I ran a couple of times last week as cross-training exercise, and so when Kari mentioned getting a bunch of us together to do it, it sounded fun enough. However, by the morning of the race, that 'bunch' had dwindled to just me and Kari! Oh well...and considering Kari just raced a half marathon, I knew it was going to be painful :-).

Anyway, it was a good, condensed workout, and it just reminded me how much I love cycling :-).

The UCSB Rowing team put on a great race, however, with lots of support. Hopefully they made some $$ on the event. The weather certainly could have been nicer...but you take what you get!

Ciao!

On Knowing Secrets

2007-11-14T13:23:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I sneak up on my dog, Aidan, when I get home...just to see what he's up to when he thinks I'm not looking (a good friend of mine gave me the idea--and it's just so much fun!). It's very comical, and maybe a topic for a future blog. However, I already feel like I'm being sneaky this week, without even trying! I happen to be on the UCSB Cycling Team Google Group. This is because I was going to go on some of their training rides, as they leave extra early in the morning, and I was planning on getting some big base miles in that way, riding with all the young whippersnappers (I don't believe I've ever used THAT word before...). However, this week it became more entertaining. Let me elaborate:

Yesterday there was a post on the listserv describing the training ride for Thursday. An excerpt of this email follows:

"...
Thursday ride leaves from Storke at 6:30 AM. This ride will involve
some climbing. We will head up .... and take ... back into
town. Climbing will be very controlled (please control yourself!),
and we will be back around 9 for people that need to goto class. I
will be riding longer for anyone that does not have class and can get
in the whole 3.5 - 4 hour ride."

This would be fine and all...but this said poster "who will be riding longer for anyone who does not have class"...happens to have MY CLASS at 9:30!!!

HMPH!!! How torn I am...I like cycling as much as the next bike geek...but it becomes slightly personal when people start blowing off MY CLASS (which you don't see ME blowing off to ride my bike...) to go on a 4 hour pre-season training ride! I feel a Thursday morning pop quiz coming on...

Inside information is funny sometimes...

Ciao!

girls and the art of bike maintenance...

2007-11-14T13:00:00.000-08:00

I'm a girl. I'm also an engineer (well, I have a Ph.D. in engineering, but I'm not sure academics count as actual engineers....that is a debatable one), and I sometimes pretend to be a bike racer. I like the fact that when random people meet me for the first time, I am not easily stereotyped. That makes things somehow more fun! Although I didn't know a thing about bike maintenance just a couple years ago (I could change the tires on my mountain bike but that was as far as things went), I have eventually managed to figure out the way most things work on a bike (at least the simple stuff...). And this seems to have made me the go-to-girl for simple bike issues. This weekend, I was called from inactive duty to install a garmin for my friend. This was a pretty simple thing to do, install one cadence/speed sensor and mount the thing on the bike...and make sure it worked...but she felt the need to document it with photos, and so I feel obligated to post one on the old blog... Maybe if my day job falls through, I can (in her words) "get a job with Dave (my 'real' bike mechanic) doing housecalls for the needy and incompetent?"

Maybe I'm just nervous about the discussion scheduled for later today (sans me...) having to do with my possible promotion...and am pondering other career options. Just kidding, of course, as I have a pretty good gig going here, and I'm one of those people who actually likes what I do at least some of the time...so I shouldn't complain.

:-)

Ciao!!

an Excuse for Everything!

2007-10-31T08:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween, fellow bloggers and blog-lurkers!

CRASH UPDATE: I have good news and bad news. The good news is that my first followup xray, 12 days post crash, showed complete healing of the broken bone. The fracture line was not visible on the xray, and things look exactly like they're supposed to! Yippeee!!! However, the bad news is I'm still looking at a LONG rehab, as all I'm supposed to be doing now is the simplest of ROM exercises, and still nothing coming even CLOSE to riding outside! However, my cross training plan seems to be working, and a combination of walking/hiking, riding the TT bike on the trainer, and going to the gym seems to be tiring me out at least as much as riding outside used to...so hopefully I won't be too behind the game! I'm getting really sick of the sling, though. I'm such a bad patient!

However, life goes on, and there are still things happening to keep me entertained. Especially last night...when sometime between the time I went to sleep (11pm) and woke up (5am), I got some interesting emails. You see, in my Design course, homework is due on Thursday. Last week, I gave them a bit of a break, and gave them an extra 5 days to do the homework. However, being undergraduates, this didn't mean a thing..many of them waited until yesterday to begin it, at which time they realized it was a tad time consuming! So I got these emails "excerpts only":

"..There is a lot going on this week: with a couple of midterms in other ME classes, Halloween, and the fires. Even for the people that do not go out for Halloween, they still suffer from a lack of sleep from the loud people partying in the apartment next door. I know that other people have also been affected by the fires, as one of my family's properties in Ramona burnt down last week. For me specifically, I am sending in my applications for medical school this week, and I am really swamped. An extension would be infinitely helpful. Please let me know if you could do this. Thank you for your time, ..."

"...Most of us have at least three homework assignments due at the end of this week and we all have a midterm on Friday. Is there any possible way you can maybe cut the assignment down a bit and have some of it due on monday? Also the h.w. is still not posted on the web so a bunch of students that don't have the notes are in even hotter water than me. Also, this is not a plee to make halloween night less hectic. I don't care about that I just need to focus on my midterm and getting my resume ready...."

and

"..Me and a few of my fellow engineering friends strongly feel that this homework assignment should be due at a later time due to the fact that we also have hw and a midterm in ME 155A Controls Design on thursay. I know that you had already given us a couple more days to finish the assignment, but halloween weekend didnt really help that much..."

So, am I being unreasonable? Halloween is a big party scene down here in SB, but last weekend was the 'halloween party weekend', too (as i heard from my windows every night), which is why i gave them an extra weekend on the front end to work on the assignment! :-) I was thinking ahead...but alas they were not. I don't understand why they complain about homework in MY class (where HW is always due on thursdays--it is not like this is new to them), vs. on of the other ones mentioned in the emails. A no win situation. However, I have to hold a hard line. I've decided to devote part of class tomorrow to homework time, and the rest to exam review (they have a midterm next Tuesday). I feel that's pretty nice of me, and about all I can do to appease them and still 'hold a hard line.' Wow...

I guess I'm just in a complainy mood...there are, of course, many students in the class who began the homework last week, and are finished by this point. I don't want to penalize them for being on top of things!

It is a fine line--that line between friendly and helpful, and them walking all over you! The game is on...

Ciao!!

Innovate or Die :-)

2007-10-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

So I finally came up with a good design project for my mechanical design class! Actually, Specialized did! Check out their "Innovate or Die" Contest! I've decided to have my class participate in this, or at least propose designs for it. Last year we did a human powered water distillation system, and most of the solutions were pedal-powered...so this is along the same vein!

Some of these are REALLY funny! For example:

or with this one...I could just happily ride away on my trainer while blogging, googling, or, egads, WORKING!

We'll see what these kids come up with! Seems like it will be fun, anyway!

On another note, it seems like just about everyone around here is stuck riding indoors for the time being. The air quality is so bad that going outside is unpleasant most of the time. My poor dogs don't know why their runs are getting cut short! Let's hope for cooler temperatures, less wind, and more rain! And help to those who have lost their home. At least one person who was at the dog show last weekend now has no home, and a few others are evacuated. One of my friends has not been located or accounted for, and cell phone signals are not getting through. Hopefully they're just out of phone range. Scary.

Ciao!!

Seeking Trainer workouts...

2007-10-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

Anything to make a month of trainer riding palatable....
I think I need to look back at those Movie lists people were posting a month or 2 ago! The trainer/bike now has become a permanent fixture in my TV room...so much for redecorating! The bikes just can't seem to stay out of the living space...

2-3 months is a long time.

2007-10-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

i think i'm going to go insane.

Performance Enhanced Lecturing?

2007-10-18T17:11:00.000-07:00

So this is a funny one...at least it seemed funny to me!
I woke up this morning, post crash, feeling not so hot. Although I managed to sleep well, things had started to tighten up, swell up, etc., and so by this morning I was not feeling so hot! Plus, I had to teach my class this morning! Not one to want to disappoint 110 eager mechanical engineering seniors (read small bit of sarcasm here), I wanted to make it to class. But considering how hard it was to just get dressed, it was not looking up, and I decided that it was time to break open the 'more advanced' drugs I had gotten yesterday. Knowing full well that they might affect my ability to give a coherent lecture, I decided the pain management was worth it.

So I took the medication...and I went to class, and taught my lecture. I had fun with it, got the class to engage a bit, even got a few people to come up and participate, and did a few examples for them that will be useful later on. I was happy to have survived...as I did feel the "brain fog" set in on a few moments. However, after the lecture, someone came up to me to ask a question, and said,

"Professor Turner, that was a really great lecture today!"

I'm not sure whether to be happy or unhappy knowing that I lecture better when 'impaired,' or to just be happy I managed to engage a significant fraction of these students and get them all to learn something!

After that, I promptly dropped my bike off at the shop for some rehab of it's own, and then went home for 4 hours of sleep on the couch.

Healing is hard work.

Ciao!

Broken spirit (or the start of a true "off-season")

2007-10-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

Today started out pretty normal..a morning of work, and I decided to do the Wednesday noon climb of Old San Marcos. I managed to sneak in a good 2.5 hour workout, with climbing, and I made the mistake of riding through campus. It was right when the classes were changing, meaning there were TONS of people on the bike path. I kept thinking to myself "you should have taken the long way around campus and avoided the bike path," and "this is just insane" trying to weave my way around the potato-chip wheel cruisers with rusty chains and cell phone equipped riders who use them freely... but alas I was already there and tried to just tough it out. I had actually made it through campus, and was just at the outskirts of IV (Isla Vista) when it happened... a girl on one of those aforementioned cruiser bikes tries to avoid someone else, and rides RIGHT into me, with enough force that I was completely knocked off balance, and immediately there is no forward pedaling to be done, and I crash. I hit my shoulder, hip, and head. I hadn't been going fast....I suppose thats a good thing. I was more angry than anything. My bike is completely banged up. The girl who hit me is fine...she stops and says "are you ok?" and I said "I don't know, as I'm sitting on the ground feeling like a moron still clipped into the one pedal! I look at my poor bike and see the shifter sitting off at a bad angle...all banged up and scratched. The chain is caught in the spokes of my wheel, the derailleur looks a little 'off.' Wow, what a mess! And that was before I realized something was wrong with my arm.

I managed to bend things back together and make the bike rideable, with the help of someone else who stopped and happeend to know enough about bikes to help me do all this one-handed. And then I rode home. (about another 1.5 miles).

By the time I got home I decided that my shoulder was really not feeling so hot, and so i went to the doctor. Two hours of waiting later, and a few more of those xrays I love so much, and the prognosis (don't have copies of the pictures yet) is: a compression fracture of the humerus! Sigh. The pictures were interesting..looks like the bone just got smashed hard enough that the end just kind of got compressed, and there is a little vertical crack inside. Well, that, and a good case of road rash on my elbow. More time off the bike for me. I got the orthopedic referral, although I don't think they do much for these things. I hope that my freakish healing capability can kick in right away so that I can ride again soon...

What kind of luck is this? I was planning a road trip this weekend to show some Irish setters. BEing as this injury is on my leash-holding hand, that means the dog show is out (although I could go just for the socializing), and if I stayed home, I couldnt go on any rides! I have to admit my normally positive outlook is waning a bit...im just bummed.

Time for a glass of wine I suppose.

-over and out.

on being famous...

2007-10-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

Something really funny happened yesterday, which I decided after some thought was bloggable...

The weekend for me consisted of a lot of cycling, a little work, a little shopping, and a lot of sleep. On Sunday, my bike ride consisted of going out with a few friends of mine, namely to catch up with one of my friends who has moved up the coast to finish her MS at Cal Poly. She was back for the weekend, and so a few of us decided to go for a spin. Because I wanted to get more miles in, I rode from my house, which added an extra 30 miles to my ride. The ride was rather uneventful...I enjoyed the nice break from the craziness of "Sunday Worlds," which is my usual ride-of-choice on Sunday mornings, mostly for the coffee time afterwards! So, our "girls ride" happened to end up at the coffee house as well (as many good long weekend rides do). My friend Olivia happened to see a postdoc she knew (she's also at UCSB) in the coffeeshop, and introduced me and Ginger to him. As with many introductions, often the names go flying by without much mention, i.e. in one ear, out the other. I think this is mostly what happened in this case. So a couple of minutes into the conversation, this guy turns to me and says, "so you're at UCSB, too? What department are you in?" I answer, "Mechanical Engineering." He says, (assuming I am a graduate student...that always makes me feel young), "with whom do you work?" I answer, "I work with lots of folks, I'm a professor there." And then he gives me this quizzical look, and then it looks like a light goes off in his head...and he says, "are you THE Kimberly_Turner?" and I say, "I am A Kimberly_Turner, I'm not sure I'm THE Kimberly_Turner, are there many?" (I'm having fun with it at this point)...

So it turns out that someone that this postdoc knew back at Illinois where he had studied was someone who thought quite highly of my work, and had told him about me and my work before he came here. And thus the world gets smaller and smaller.

So now I am THE DrKim, I suppose...that's kind of scary! I kind of liked being incognito, especially on the bike! I guess I'll have to come up with a disguise...I do have a new team for next year....

Ciao!

Top 10 lists.

2007-10-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

(had some blog trouble this week....but back in business now...)

Since I'm back into the school/work mode...it's time to bring out the top 10 lists! Here are some funny ones while I'm working on collecting the top 10 excuses for missing class/turning in homework late/etc.

So this one is poking fun at myself a bit...and I am being honest here, sometimes brutally so:

So....for all those of you who were college students once, you must remember the "end of course evaluations". That one day where you could get back at your professor for being too hard, too lazy, too smart, too... Turns out, people actually READ what you wrote on those sheets, and those comments come back to haunt those of us who are being written about! So, here is my top 7 (ok, so it was going to be top 10, but I could only think of 7 good ones and don't have time to actually look them up--I have real work to do) comments ever received on teaching evaluations...the good and the bad.

7. (gotta start with the good...) ...is the best professor at UCSB. I will take all of her classes from now on.

6. (on my VERY first teaching experience). Good professor, a bit nervous, but I'm sure she'll get better with practice.

5. Professor Turner really knows her stuff.

4. Too nice...you should be meaner to the obnoxious dude in the back row. (who I did kick out of class at least once)

3. Makes me feel stupid (I still feel bad about this one...but the poor guy asked the same question EVERY lecture and EVERY office hour, and after awhile, I risked jeopardizing the whole class' experience by answering that question every day...).

2. Fun professor. Everyone should go to office hours and talk about cycling. (you can see how i liven up the office hours which are light on people)

and the number 1 funny comment received on a teaching evaluation: Professor Turner is a really good dresser. (**side note: no, i've never worn spandex to teach class :-))

Sigh. :-)

Bragging rights...

2007-10-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

So school is getting into the swing of things...and I already have students making excuses for missing class/missing quizzes/etc. Some of them are funny, some are lame, and some are are real. So on the very first day of class, when one particular student said he was going to be missing class this week, my ears were perked. He went on to say he would be missing class in order to compete at Elite Track Nationals...so of course I said I was jealous, wished him luck, and offered extra office hours to help him make up the work :-).

Today, I replied to his latest email with a request for a meeting time...and I discover not only did he just "race" in Elite Track Nationals, but he happened to become the new U23 Kilometer TT National Champion! So I just had to say Congrats to Matt Post, who also happens to be in my senior ME design class, and races for UCSB Cycling!

School starts again...

2007-09-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

...on Thursday. I have to get motivated to teach a class again, after a big 9 month break! I am teaching a senior mechanical design class, and of course I am dreaming about more ways to bring cycling and microtechnology, two things I am quite passionate about, into the class. So...after nearly a month of not blogging...I bring you blog-readers a challenge. I usually assign a small design project to my class, to enhance what they are learning. They are already doing large year-long capstone design projects, so this small project is usually something concept-only, and most of the groups do not build anything. Can anyone think of a cycling-related project? I have a few in mind already....but I thought I'd throw the question out there just to see what people might come up with! Last year they did pedal-powered water distillation systems. The top 2 teams actually built their designs and competed in a regional ASME competition.

Come to think of it, maybe some of my students-to-be will find this blog, as they have been known to do so in the past. There are at least a couple of the mechanical engineering undergrads who show up on Group Rides in SB, as it's just not a huge community, us spandex-wearing cyclists. Hmmmmmm.

Anyway...thats about all from DrKim's blogland! Back to the grind...

Ciao!

ps. Oh...I tried cyclocross last week!! I must say it was entertaining. In an hour I learned how to mount/dismount while moving, and ride my not-supposed-to-be-but-had-a-broken-shifter single-speed loaner 'cross bike. I also attempted to do run-ups, but my shoulder did not cooperate. The bike frame was hitting it in a rather tender spot (it has been nearly a year since I broke it/separated it) and it just did NOT feel good at all, and still didn't the next couple days either! So I'm not sure..it is looking like my 'cross career might be over and I'll stick to the activities where you stay ON the bike. :-)

A FLAT way to end the season?

2007-08-25T17:48:00.001-07:00

Well, I completed my first 3's road race! The good news is that I felt like I belonged in my new category. The bad news is, I have no good results to show for my nearly 70 mile effort today! I can't even report on exciting sprint finishes, or how anyone else did, because I don't know! So before I go into this, I'll report on what I do know about the race.

I believe there were 19 starters...300-319 they said at the start. This was a 3's only race, a rarity in the so-cal scene. However, this race seemed to be mostly nor-cal racers, as I recognized some of them from Kern, and met some from the blogosphere!
Metromint had at least 2, as did VeloBella, and EMC2 had 3 or 4! There were also a few other teams with at least 2 each. I felt mighty lonely all by myself. Right from the start one rider kept playing around at the front. We tried rotating a bit, and as luck would have it (I'm screaming at myself for this one...both times it happened--making newbie mistakes...like getting stuck out in front), the rotating paceline would miraculously end when I pulled through and started to softpedal, no one would pull through. Then I was left out in front. I think I must have had a sign on me that said 'first time cat 3,' and maybe people thought they could make me work without me realizing it? Anyway, I wasn't sure I even had the gas for a 70 mile race, so i did NOT want to be up front, especially when I wasn't even warmed up! So I started to ease up on the pace. I pulled off and slowed, and slowed, and still no one would go around me. Someone actually SAID to me "You have to make this a race!" and I was like "if you want a race then go around me...I'm not pulling this whole peoloton for very long...this is lap 1!" I was rather irate about the whole matter. There were lots of comments like that going back and forth, which is different from the 4s. Anyway, finally someone attacked, and we all sped up and got back into some form of organization. No one seemed to want to organize for very long. There were a lot of half-hearted attacks at the front, but nothing stuck. I mostly sat in, and rotated through as necessary. I was warmed up by the end of lap 1 and settling in. My lower back was feeling a bit sore going into lap 2, but other than that, I felt pretty fresh. The hammer gel flask was awesome...I'll definitely keep that in mind for future long races!

On lap 3 (I THINK it was lap 3...they all ran together at some point), speedy girl attacked right before the feed zone. I'm not sure if she considered it an attack or not, it could be as we were slowing down and preparing for the feed she just kept going...but she got a gap. It got to be pretty large at one point, and we discussed what to do about it. We didn't really do a great job of organizing through the rollers on the backside, and gained some ground but didn't catch. Finally someone went and attacked to try and bridge. I felt strong so I followed. I caught that girl, and the two of us brought speedy girl back. The three of us worked pretty good together for awhile, and we were caught by one other, so the 4 of us kept rotating through and worked hard. However, we started to tire, and again (need to ride smarter, I tell myself) I got stuck out in the front doing too much work. Eventually we slowed and were caught by the chasers. Then we were all together again...at this point about 15 miles to go. Actually some people had been dropped off by this point. I'm guessing we were 12 strong or so. All was going well....on the one little hill on the flat part of the course I felt really strong. I spun up in the big ring and never had to stand. My legs were hanging in there. I powered over the climb strong, and then settled back in. The course was pretty flat in this section, and I was feeling like i was going to be in it at the finish!

When....I hear that familiar sound of a flat tire. Bummer!!!! I kept riding, as the leak was a sort of slow one...as if I was going to will it away or something, but it was not to be. Pretty soon it was fully flat. "Flat" I call out, as I pull off and watch the lead group ride away. Bummer, says the metromint girl next to me. I'm sure I said a few choice words I probably should have kept to myself at that point. Thankfully I had put my CO2 and spare tube in my jersey, so I quickly changed the flat and chased. However, chasing in the last 10 miles of a long RR when you are 1 and they are 10 is just not really very fun or productive. I rode in strong, but very frustrated. I have no idea how I did...I was not realy in the mood to stay for results. I congratulated the girls around that I saw, and told them I had fun riding with them, but that was as much as I know about how the race ended. I don't even know who won!

So...another day, another bike race. I feel good about my race today, even though I'm sure I don't have a good finish to show for it. I rode strong, my fitness felt good, I learned some valuable lessons, I didn't crash or crash anyone else (although I think I did scare someone in the feed zone when someone cut me off and I subsequently did NOT hold my line--sorry!!!!).

Anyway, I think that was my last RR of the year...so I have to wait till next year to redeem myself. But I'll be there, ready to go as always!

It was really great to meet fellow bloggers today! Cyclistrick and Ms. Chatterbox...you were awesome when I was nervous getting ready. Alicat, it was fun to race with you--maybe you know how things ended up because if I recall you were right in the thick of it all. Aufderbach...hope your race went well..was good to meet you in the port-a-potty line... Hope you all had a good time today!!

Till next time!
Ciao!!!

BeepBeep!

2007-08-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

So...I dont think these two photos look very similar at ALL, but it seems the Wile-E-Coyote I saw this morning would beg to differ!

I'm up early, and out for my morning spin. My plan was to do some warm up riding on Mountain Drive, and then meet up with the 8am group ride. I am up on Mountain Drive, when I see what I think is a medium sized dog in the road. There was some morning traffic, so I was happy to see it scurry off to the side of the road when a car came. As I got closer to it, I realized it was a coyote.

I like to see wildlife, so I thought I'd ride slowly past it. I was climbing a little hill, so I wasn't going fast to begin with, and I didn't want to scare it away. I got kind of close to it...it was near a fire hydrant on the opposite side of the road. I was just about directly across from it, when it kind of crouched down and was giving me the evil eye, like it thought I was breakfast or something....when my brain was like, hmmm, dogs and cats do that when they're stalking something. I looked around and there was nothing to stalk except ME! And right about then the thing pounced! It was actually chasing me! I was pretty surprised by this, as usually coyotes are pretty scared of humans... I am embarassed to say I was actually pretty freaked out by this, and even more so by the fact that I was going uphill and could only go so fast! Let's just say I got my hard effort in for the morning! It kept up with me pretty good...was right at my wheel! It finally gave up and trotted back down the road. I rode a little further and then let up. I could still see it staring at me.... The funny part was that I had to then go back down that road, because I didn't have time to go the long way around, and had to get back to town for the group ride! So a couple minutes later I turned around and went back, but because I was now descending, I was going much faster, and didn't even see the thing.

So, do I look like a roadrunner? Hmmm. Not so sure now!

Ciao!

the SLO photos!!

2007-08-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Steve Weixel (see link on this site), there are now PHOTOS of my race! There are actually HUNDREDS, although I'm only going to post a few here. I'm sure Steve's site will have many more excellent ones from ALL the races!

Going up the 'hill' (not really sure I can call that grade a 'hill' but it was slightly not flat).

I clearly look faster than I am here....

more bike racing...

And more bike racing...from another angle.

My teammate, Ginger, looking fast!

My turn at the front, 2 laps from the finish.

Fast in SLO

2007-08-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

Today was the downtown San Luis Obispo criterium. A fast, 4 corner, mostly flat course in downtown SLO. 0.8 mile laps, which meant a LOT of laps in 40 minutes! I was a bit distracted this morning, and I did wonder about my ability to focus for the race. I forgot to eat before leaving, which meant that it was going to have to be a bagel in the car (thanks to my teammate, Ginger) and a latte.

Warmup was uneventful, and I did appreciate the nice decent start time of 10:20, meaning I didn't have to get up in the middle of the night! Although I had been toying with upgrade, this week was too crazy, and I just never got around to it! So alas it was my last race as a 4. The race was a 3/4 race, and my goal was to just ride up near the front where it was fast and safe, and to keep on top of everything as long as I could. I was also doing an experiment and was not planning on wearing any HR monitor or computer of any sort. I just wanted to ride my bike...

We did our warmup lap and lined up at the line. I had 2 teammates in the race. It was a HUGE field (for women, that is). It seemed like there were more than 40 women lined up! Awesome. This was the final race in the Womens Cycling Challenge, and it had drawn a crowd! I had a decent starting position, but needed to use the first couple of laps to gain position. The turns were fast, and I really wanted to be out of traffic so i could take them at speed. There were a couple of teams with more than a few riders (paramount and metromint), and that was interesting, too. Having teammates sure does give an advantage!

The race started fast from lap 1. I settled in, and thankfully my legs were right underneath me, not upset at all at what I was asking. Responding to the attacks was, dare I say, easy! I figured out the wind, and surveyed the riders to find the good wheels to sit on. I nearly got taken out on a corner when someone in front of me started to slide, but I did save my own line with just a small correction and everyone behind me was thankful. I got the "wow that was quite a save" comment by a couple people. The scary moments keep me engaged, and keep me focused. I just wanted to ride harder. The paramount team was just attacking and attacking at the front....the benefit of a whole team! I was keeping things in check and sitting pretty. I could tell it was going to come down to a field sprint, as the field let up a little on the backside, and people started bunching up. I hit the final turn a teeny bit too far back, and thus my sprint was not quite good enough and I came in 7th or 8th overall. The good news was that I WON the cat 4s!

The win was nice, and now that puts me over the 30 points for required upgrade. I guess I will be a 3 for San Ardo. I feel so good about my ability to channel my energy, ride aggressively and safely, corner fast, and am finally fit enough to play around in these races! I love it! Crits are really so much fun!!!!

So thus ends my stint in the newbie racer Cat 4's. 3 victories (1 road race, 2 crits), stage race placements, time trial placements, and tons of new friends. Can't wait for the next installment.

Hopefully Steve Weixel got some good photos...and I'll add them! He and his wife were taking lots of photos, and I'm sure there will be some good ones!

Another fun day at the races. SLO is a great town for a bike race. The race was well-run, results were posted quickly, and everything ran efficiently!

See you at San Ardo...time to apply for my upgrade!

Ciao!!

Sisquoc ramblings

2007-08-05T17:57:00.000-07:00

After a couple weeks with no real bike racing to report on, there was finally a race! I kind of think my legs thought the season was over, though, and decided not to show up! At least that's what it felt like....

So I did the women's 4's. I was hoping it would be my last race in the 4's, and I was hoping for a good result. Unfortuantely life sometimes throws punches we don't expect....and the week ended up involving a lot more stress, and a lot more driving (and a lot less riding) than I would have hoped for. I had not ridden MOnday, did a brisk group ride (40ish miles) Tuesday, and then didn't get on the bike at all Wednesday or Thursday, and Friday was so smoky/ashy that all I did was 40 minutes easy, with a couple of sprints in there to remind the old legs what to do.

So Saturday comes around, and off I go to the bike race. It was a womens 1/2/3/4 race, witht he 4s scored separately. I have been riding strong lately, so my goal was to hang with the lead pack as long as I could, and try to get in a break with some other 3's if there were any. That plan was derailed though, when I realized that the numbers were not different for the 3s or 4s or 1/2's, so there was no way of knowing who was who (and since I'm still a 4, I don't know that many of the 3's racers yet)... So the race starts and I sit in and ride. And that lasts for about 1 lap! Ack. The second time around, I just did a stupid move on the first descent into a corner. I was too far back, and I got caught behind one of the many many girls who wants to slow down to turn corners. I was mentally kicking myself, as descending and cornering is one of my favorite things, and I'm pretty confident in my ability to push the envelope with out violating CL rules... Anyway, someone attacked out of the turn, going into the windy flat section, and I was dropped. Sigh. I kept on motoring, and caught on with 2 other girls of a similar fate. They wanted to work together, so we rotated through, and rode hard, and ended up catching back on the leaders when going through the feed zone. That was nice. However, the next time around, I again get shelled. My brain was just not with me today--i was thinking about other things, and was just not riding aggressivly. I had poor positioning and it showed, and I was pretty mad at myself. This lap, there were then 5 of us in our little group. We got organized, and did a pretty good job of working together. On this lap, I finally was feeling strong, and I pulled the whole group up the long climb. My climbing legs finally showed up ( a little late!)... Then it was the final lap. We were all 4s in my group, and I didn't think there were more than 2-3 4s up the road, so this was going to be a race! We pacelined through the windy backside, and then we climbed. I held someone's wheel up the climb this time..time to start chilling and recovering for whatever sprint was going to happen in this little chase group. I was starting to cramp at this point (I think it was from not drinking enough--I didn't have a feeder so I was stuck with the water I could carry), and was really worried, as I've never cramped before in a race!

So...we start to come up to the finish and of course no one wants to be in front. I was nicely tucked in on a good wheel, and I thought she would make a move, I could take her wheel, and then pop around at the finish. But when it got to 150m to go, she wasn't going! Now I know I've got a pretty good sprint, so I decide its now or never, and make the move and go for broke. I jump and get around her easy, and pull away. Looks like I pulled it off. I stand up out of the saddle to crank, and my calf completely cramps up! The bike bobbles, and I feel the intense pain, but I was like, I"m not losing this sprint after all that work! So i will my leg to keep working and I push it over the line, about 6 inches in front of the next girl. Whew! So although I had a completely crappy race, at least I got to work with some nice girls, and get a good workout! I ended up getting 4th (I think...the results took so long that I gave up and went home!). Not the result I was after, but oh well. Some days are like that.

Today, I woke up and went down to Sunday Worlds (our local brisk sunday ride) and rode strong. My legs had come back! And I was able to hang with the guys, and do work, and push, and do just fine! So who knows what was up yesterday....

On a good note, my friend Carissa (who is super strong and almost never races) won the 4s race, and hung with the 1/2/3's the whole race yesterday! So all was not lost. And my teammate Susie also had a great first race as a 3, and finished top 10.

Maybe next weekend in San Luis my legs will show up....we can see!

Ciao!!

Puppies!!!!!

2007-07-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

As I'm completely swamped with work, and there's not much new cycling to report on (i.e. all the other bloggers are covering such interesting topics that anything I can think to write about seems lame and boring...) I am diverting to puppies!

These are my dog Natalie's new babies! I co-own Natalie with a good friend of mine (she lives with my friend right now), and these are her adorable new babies the day they were born earlier this week!

Ciao!

Introducing iPhone! and other DC musings...

2007-07-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

So today I'm in our Nation's capital. I'm here for a few days for an A_F_O_S_R program review (for the errant non-geek who manages to find this blog..that is AirForceOfficeofScientificResearch). Tomorrow I give a talk on the wonderful world of building synthetic reversible adhesives that work the same way Gecko's run on walls/ceilings/trees. I actually should be working on that said talk right now...but instead I'm blogging away, and catching up on everyone else's blogs! Addiction, anyone??

Anyway...I got an iphone last week. It's really cool. It's kind of changed how I do things. The web browser is actually functional, unlike the one on my treo which was so small and so slow and annoying, that i NEVER used it. This little thing worked great! Yesterday, while on the bus between the airport and the Metro (I always use public transportation when in DC--one of the few american cities where it really works), I was able to log in and see how the locals were doing in the Cascade stage race (still a bit annoyed that there was no women's race there this year...lame). They were doing well, and today when I checked again, I see Lindsay Blount won the masters 45+ and David Larsen won the 4s! The locals are doing us proud! Way to go!!!!!! I was also able to look up the Metro map on the fly, reply to tons of emails while browsing in the Smithsonian...and keep caught up in the meeting which happened to have NO free (or paid) wireless (the audacity of that is another thing altogether)! Plus, I was able to take a few snapshots while walking around as well. I can even blog (although this blog is coming from my mac...since I did open it to finish working on my talk) from it, complete with photos.

Anyway, i've gotta say that after almost 2 weeks of iphone, I'm really liking the little gadget. The only thing I don't like so far is the battery life, and it's not awful. I have found that if you turn off the wireless, it's just fine. It's very easy to turn on the wireless when you want to look for a hotspot or are in a known network, and having it off saves significant power. I've just trained myself to charge it at night, and I don't have to worry.

Oh well, i'll add the photos later...I must finish that talk and stop procrastinating already!

Ciao!!!

On Missed Anniversaries

2007-07-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

So I'm wholly expecting my bike to do something evil to me one of these days...because I missed it's anniversary! It was July 5, 2006, which was my introduction into this great sport of road cycling! Prior to July 5, I didn't even OWN a road bike (unless you count the sporty 10 speed Trek I got when i was 12, and promptly grew out of by age 15 or so--and YES, that was a LONG time ago).

It was actually July 3 when I decided to look into buying a road bike. I had been running a lot, and I was a little worried about my running volume and what it would do to my knees/ankles in later life. A few of my friends had been talking about riding up into the hills surrounding SB, and I was in decent shape, so I thought that sounded like fun. I went into Dave Lettieri's shop to "look at bikes." I had a price range in mind, and Dave was cool about it...he let me ride lots of bikes around for as long as I wanted. I had no aspirations of racing, nor did I really even know what racing was all about! I just wanted a bike that could climb those hills...I bought a racing bike. I will admit that I bought the one I bought because of the way it accelerated out of corners...maybe my subconsious liked going fast even then.

So on July 5, my bike and I got together. And now, one year later, and maybe 8000 miles later, we're having a superb relationship. The bike has had some changes, like a new crank, a new bottom bracket, 2 sets of new cables, a new cassette (just HAD to have that 11-26), and new pedals. I now own backup wheels, training wheels, race wheels, aero wheels, a TT bike (ok, so i made a good deal for that one). If someone had told me a year ago that I'd have 4 wheelsets and 2 bikes, I would have told them they were crazy! Just goes to show you how much I know! The bike has gotten me through a bunch of races, 2 victories, many nice placements, an impending upgrade to Cat 3, and cherished new friends associated with this amazing sport! I can't believe I haven't given him (or even a gender...until right this moment) a name! Maybe I should take a poll...

So, happy anniversary! My sweet bike, you have brought me so much joy, brought my fitness up to a level never previously achieved and given me back the fighting competitive spirit that challenges me to climb the next peak, chase down attacks, beat someone to the line, and just enjoy a fine Saturday morning playing with friends. You can't really ask for more than that.

Ciao!!

TT v4.0

2007-07-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

Last night I did the local Echelon Goleta Time Trial. I didn't really want to do it, as TT's are really the hardest races for me. I even went so far last Friday as to tell a friend that if I won my race on Saturday, I wouldn't force myself to do the TT...but when it came right down to it, my coach's words were echoing in my brain (you'll get faster at TT's if you just DO them...), and also the realization that I needed to do this one if I was going to have any chance of completing the required 4 to get in the running for the end-of-series awards, so i decided to do it. It was to be my third high-intensity ride in as many days, so the old legs didn't quite have their 'snap,' and I was also running later than I wished I was, so I didn't have my full warmup.

Lately I have been able to push harder than in previous months, so I decided to push the heart rate up a notch today and try to work harder. As it is just a local TT, if I blew up, I'd learn a valuable lesson about how hard I can push myself... As it turned out, it was a really useful experiment! I started the same as always, but I ramped up a little quicker, and my goal was to be about 5bpm higher than last time for the entire time. I felt slow the whole way out...it was windier than last time, and the speed was just not what I was hoping for. Thankfully I settled in and the legs got their normal tired but not dead feeling, and I held steady. Passing 2 people on this stretch did help the ego, as well. Going up the hill by DP I was finally feeling good. I was able to hold my speed up the hill, even though it was really hard, and get around the turnaround. However, I had to STOP for the light at the top of the hill! I did my best rendition of a trackstand, and when that was no longer an option, I kind of turned down the street to keep from having to get off the bike. Ack. The time was just clicking away. AFter that, I screamed down the hill and then again had to STOP at the next turnaround. There was so much traffic! Here i am thinking my time is shot....while fostering an increased motivation to really push it on the final leg in. The tailwind didn't hurt, either! I really got into a good rhythm, but felt super slow when Gary and Pops passed by me. Oh well...you have what you have! I did get the increased motivation to pass a 4th person, and push the heart rate up to 200 to cross the line. My time, once I got it all calculated out was 26:44, a good 40 seconds faster than my first effort on this course. In addition, it was good enough to win the women's division. Maybe next month there won't be cars in the way! Maybe all these hard efforts are paying off and I'm finally able to push a little more power. Maybe it was just luck, or the lucky water bottle i had borrowed. I haven't yet looked at my average HR, but I'm guessing it was 185/187ish, which is a good 7 beats higher than my last TT effort.

Oh well...I sure hope these are making me stronger!

Ciao!

V is for Victory! (or Very happy I didn't crash)

2007-07-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

Finally, i have an actual race to report on! It seems like ages since I raced, as my last few efforts were all TT's or TTT's, which just aren't that interesting to report on! However, today, me and my teammate took the trek down to La Mirada for a circuit race. I would always prefer a road race...but at this time in the season, it seems that crits are where its at, so it was were I had to be!

I had to get up at 3:30am for this one! Considering that I went to sleep at 11, this was just not enough sleep! However, I can catch up tonight! The circuit was 2 miles long. There was a steady climb between turns 2 and 3, and then flat/easy descent to turn 4, with an uphill finish. It was a good course. The field was pretty big. They ran the 3/4 fields together, but they were scored separately. There were 30-40 starters...not sure exactly how many, but I definitely thought it was one of the larger women's 3/4 fields. I hadn't pre-ridden the course, so lap one was the learning lap for me. Thankfully no one went crazy from the gun so I had some time. I determined the hill could be big ringed (thanks to my compact setup), and learned about the turns. The field was a bit touchy, so there was more braking than I prefer. Someone even tried to give me the constructive feedback to use my brakes less....but alas there is not much you can do when someone in front of you over-corrects and the accordion affect helps. I am all for using your body to slow down...but in extreme cases sometimes a small tap of the brakes is just necessary... At one point I nearly was pushed into a traffic cone, but managed to casually avoid it....

So the hammer went down at the start of 2 laps to go. A couple folks at the front started drilling the hill. Later (i.e. after the race) I learned that someone was worried about the mens55+ race lapping us and thought that they might neutralize the main field but let the break go if one were to be created, and was trying to create a breakaway, which didn't stick. I did, however, keep that break in check, and felt pretty good going into the final lap. On the final lap, things were calm until the backside of the course, when you could feel some intensity building. I knew I had to get up towards the front if I was going to have any chance in the field sprint. I moved up to the front, and made the conscious decision to take the final turn from the outside. THe final turn back to the start/finish was a downhill turn, to an uphill finish. The course also significanly widened to 4 lanes following the turn. I decided that if I was outside, I could take the turn fast, and go outside, creating a bit of a longer line, but I would avoid any mayhem and could hopefully go up the side and grab a wheel. And that's exactly what I did! I took the turn flat out, and had tons of momentum for the hill. I saw people attack and got out of the saddle to respond. I pushed hard and accelerated quickly out of turn 4 up the hill, but at the same time as I was going hard, I heard that dreadful crash sound off to my right. My peripheral vision saw a person flip up. I was so far away from it on the outside that I just kept going. I was able to grab a wheel of someone (blue and white kit....don't know who you are), and she took me right into the final sprint finish. I popped out and around her and sprinted in.

I didn't know how I did, and soon the 3/4 combined results were posted and I had gotten 7th in the combined field. I was happy with that, as I felt good about my ride. My sprint was slightly tempered by the worry about hearing that big crash...but overall I felt good. That feeling turned to GREAT when I found out that I won the cat 4 race! Yeah!!! My teammate got 3rd in the cat 4's as well.

The girls involved in the crash did not fare so well. When I rode back to bring them some water, they were all coherent and ok, but it looked like there was at least one or 2 shoulder issues, a concussion or 2, and a lot of road rash. It kind of shook me. Cycling is not for the faint of heart, and it IS dangerous!

Anyway, it was a good return to racing for me. I hope the folks who crashed are all ok and heal up quickly. There were also a couple of crashes in the Mens 5s as well as at least one of the masters categories (and I left for the long slog through the LA traffic before any of the other groups had finished). An interesting quote from Steve Weixel, who was racing in the Mens 5s.

Me: Did you get caught behind the crash?
Him: Yeah
Me: What happened?
Him: Not completely sure....but at one point i saw a WHEEL rolling across the course, with half a FORK still attached!

Let's hope the other fields had safer races.

Cheers!

On Riding with the Guys...

2007-06-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

I'm tired.
and I've been delinquent on blogging...had a busy week and was pretty much preoccupied. No real excuses.

Tonight, there looks to be a fire nearby. The smoke is coming in, and the sky that was so clear and beautiful today is now hazy and smoky. Good thing I got a ride in this morning!

Speaking of the ride this morning, I have had a hard training week. I did hill repeats on Lladera following a group ride on Tuesday, a recovery 2 hour ride on Wednesday, did Gibraltar, etc., on Thursday, short spin Friday, and somehow decided I needed to work hard today. So today I went on the 8am ride which goes around Lake Casitas. When I get there this morning, I happen to be the only girl going around the lake. This is always a bit worrisome to me. Things go through my mind like "hmmm...I wonder if I know the way," "I wonder if they'll wait for me somewhere if I get dropped," "I wonder if I'll get yelled at this week for doing something lame," etc... Then the confidence attempts to take over, and I tell myself "I'm a decent rider, I am a good bike handler, I love to climb, this will be fun, etc."

The ride started out fine...not as fast as some of these rides can be, and my legs were feeling ok, especially considering what I had done to them earlier in the week. The first part of the ride was fine, but then when turning onto hwy 150, a big truck ended up splitting the group, so I was a chasing! I knew that this would not be a good thing, as I worked hard before the climbing even started! Oh well...I climbed at my own pace and was holding a pretty steady power, so i was pleased. I have what I have, and if it's not quite enough to hand with all the guys, so be it! I'm still working at it! Thankfully there was a regroup at the top of the 2nd climb, and I am happy to say that there were plenty of people behind me too...somehow not being last does a good bit for the old ego!

Going down around Lake Casitas was fun. I am still feeling the fact that I'm not quite aggressive enough, but I"m working at it. The right thoughts definitely go through my head...I just hesitate a tad too long before acting on them! I guess that is just inexperience. I do think that all these fast group rides have made me much better in that regard. But I still get in a bad spot when I get stuck behing a bad wheel and don't jump around before everyone passes me...and then I have to work twice as hard to get back in a decent position. Live and learn!

Anyway, I hung in there back around the lake and all the way to Ventura, where we then have to ride back to SB. Part of this ride goes on an access road, and then pops on the freeway for a bit. Now, by this point, about 50 miles in or so, I'm feeling pretty tired. We're pacelining and I am doing fine, holding my own, able to do what i'm supposed to, when we have to pass through this little barrier..and before i was even through it someone attacked! Oh well...as I see the rest of them all go up and onto the freeway and there was no way I could hang on...way to attack in a good spot, guys... Anyway, thankfully a couple of nice guys hung back and towed me back :-). For the most part, the folks around here are pretty nice. However, I HATED being the GIRL that people had to wait for! The motivation to not suck makes me dig pretty darn deep.

The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful...I got a flat when we got back to town. Just more motivation to change the tires I've had on my bike since february. I'm pretty excited I probably got 3500 miles on them at least! They are pretty toast though, so I'm changing them tonight.

Ride Summary: 68 miles, 3 hours, probably 3-4K climbing (but didn't look at the computer file yet), max speed 47mph, some tired legs tonight.
Cost Summary: New Tube $6, New Tires: $100. CO2 cartridge: $3. Getting stronger: Priceless.

40K of H*ll

2007-06-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

Ok...to quote xbunny,

"and the real reason to do a 40k time trial
is to make you so happy to do 10 mile time trials"

oh how right you are xbunny! At least I hope that's why I did it! Because at the time, I sure didn't care for it!

So today I did the CBR State TT Championships. Another trip out to Lancaster/Palmdale, another chance to leave the temperate climate of Santa Barbara for the heat of the desert, another opportunity to suffer for an hour.

And in my case, that 40K of suffering was 1 hour, 8 minutes and 14 seconds. Wow.

Not much of a race report to be had in a TT report...it is what it is. There were only 3 of us in the Cat 4 women's division. I started 2nd. I passed the girl in front of me near the turnaround (it was an out and back...so about 12 miles out and 12 back). There was a tailwind all the way out, and the headwind on the way back made the pain oh so much worse. About 7 miles in, the first of the mens 4s started to pass me. Thankfully I had been warned that this would happen, so it didn't freak me out and stayed steady. I actually felt ok through the turnaround as well for the next few miles. It was at about mile 14 when I started to be unable to ignore the pain which was manifesting itself in regions you just don't want that much pain! I tried to shift around a bit...but it was just making it worse, and I found myself sliding further and further back on my saddle, and could almost feel the power loss in the legs, which were feeling fine. The seat was just killing me!

About 2 miles from the finish, the girl who started behind me passes me, but she's not going that much faster. I hold steady and ride near her. I passed her back, and she passed me back. It made it more interesting...because even though my brain knew she had beaten me by 30 seconds...at least there was SOME Motivation to ignore the pain and race my darn bike!

When I got close to being done, I got my normal "wow i actually made it lets get this d*mn thing over with" second burst of energy, and push in, leaving that girl a few seconds back. And it was over.

I was feeling so slow. I mean, 1 hour and 8 minutes for a 40k???? Sad....however, when they finally gave out the awards, there were actually a lot of times slower than that, which sadly enough, renewed my quest to continue to improve. I got 2nd place, by 24 seconds. At least I put 6 seconds into that girl at the finish...

Anyway, it was my first 40K solo effort. And hard it was! And I sure hope xbunny is right, and the next stage race TT seems like a piece of cake!

On another good note, here are some other local results:

Gary Douville got 1st in the 3s, and I think his time was over a minute faster than 2nd place! Yeah Gary.

David Larsen was 5th in the 4s, and I think Tom Anhalt was 6th in the 4s as well.

Congrats everyone!

Off to find dinner...and try and recover for Worlds tomorrow....

Ciao!!

Latest Update: Here are the official results

On reminiscing...

2007-06-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

...about Life/Work/Cycling

Ok, so some could argue that cycling is part of life, but in my little microcosm it seems to take on a life of its own! I decided to not teach this summer, to enjoy the benefits of that academic job I worked so hard for, and to have a flexible summer. (I will pay for this next Winter when I DO have to teach...as summer is usually a trade-out for me for some other quarter) So after all the commencement festivities of last weekend (mostly I suffered through in a jet lag fog), it is officially summer. And I have a few moments this morning, to reflect on summers past, and look forward to what this one may bring.

Last summer was a summer of new things for me. In this period last year, I bought my bike and got to spend much of the summer getting to know it. It was fun. We had a good courtship, culminating in me entering a race after just 3 weeks of riding. Honestly, before that I had a crappy mountain bike that I commuted to work on, and pretty much nothing else. Nothing like jumping in with both feet! In that first race, Sisquoc, I got creamed...actually I got 6th place in the 4s, but becuase it was a 1/2/3/4 start with all of us racing together, I felt like I got creamed since I got dropped after the first 15 or so miles. I think I was the only racer there without a kit, or a team, or a club! I was such a fred. The woman who is now my coach was there, as her team was putting on the race. She saw me afterwards, nearly puking, feeling really slow after having ridden a good 30 mile hilly TT after getting dropped after the first 1.5 laps of the race. I was so naive, our conversation kind of went like this:

Her: "You should go on a cool-down ride"
Me: "you mean I have to ride my bike MORE?????"
Her: "yeah, go for a spin"
Me: "im not sure I ever want to ride my bike again!"
Her: "you did really well"
Me: "you're talking to the wrong person...didn't you see? I'm the one who finished by herself..at the back! I only passed one person the entire time! I got dropped on the second lap! I ...
Her: "you should have seen MY first race on this course"
Me: "you DO remember talking to me as you were PASSING me in the follow car? I was dropped like a rock"
Her: "really, do you KNOW who you were riding with?"
Me: "some people a lot more talented than myself?"
Her: "Give it up, and go check and see how you placed"
Me: "at least I didn't get last, as I know I passed someone"
Her: "i think its really great you gutted it out and finished. You have a lot of drive"
Me: "you mean you can drop out early?" (I had no idea people just stopped when they were dropped ...)
Her: "forget you heard that. and GO on your cooldown ride"
(i just rode back to the car and went home...)

Anyway, so as I reflect on that first race experience, I have NO idea what compelled me to start this season! That first race just wasn't really a fun experience! Hmmmm. But yet I managed to start this season amped up and ready for whatever was there! And this year, races have been a blast. Sure, there have been moments (like the races when my bike was broken and I couldn't figure out what was wrong), but overall I think of the races as things I look forward to (well, with the small exception of time trials....). I have had a victory, and many defeats, and some good races and some really bad ones. And now I can't imagine my life without racing.

So I guess in the grand scheme of things, last summer was an influential one in my life. I wonder what this one will bring! Bring it on!

Jet Lag Sucks

2007-06-19T20:42:00.001-07:00

...it really does. I just had no idea how much! So today, I got up on time and went down to the 8am group ride. I do this group ride all the time, and it is fun for me. My plan was to stick with the group ride, and then climb some hills afterwards to get my climbing workout in.

On the warmup I felt fine. The legs felt reasonably fresh (remember, I'd been in France until Saturday morning, 9 days off the bike), and all was well until someone decided that it was time to hammer. I geared down and went, and stayed on, but wow, it was harder than it had to be! It was a strange feeling. My legs weren't burning like they usually do when I'm about ready to blow up, but it was definitely not the crisp reaction I was expecting. Hmmm. After a couple of well timed "kim, STAY ON HIS WHEEL!" "don't let a gap form," comments from other (faster) folk, I managed to hang on. The ego was quickly dissispating, though, and for me, the ego and the fact that I'm one of only 1-2 girls that makes it on these rides is about the only thing that keeps me hanging! So when the ride split, and I made the possibly bad decision to take the longer, hill route up Gubernador canyon, I was dropped like a rock. Oh well...good day for a ride by myself, I try to tell myself, as I keep wondering why I'm feeling so very slow. I did manage to thrash myself and get up the hill, and enjoyed the descent, and caught the stragglers on the final climb up to the re-group spot at Bates... After that, I skipped contesting for the final sprints back into town, and did manage to punish myself with extra climbs up Toro, Lladera, and Mountain Dr. I did skip gibraltar, though....that 12noon meeting saved me!

AFter feeling lame and slow all afternoon, I've decided to chalk it up to jet lag. Someone once told me that you have to give yourself ~1 day per hour of time change to fully adapt. And since i was 9 hours off..this could take awhile! Plus, I didn't ride for a week on top of that, so I guess I can't claim to be in top form, either!

I guess I'll just have to go back on thursday to redeem myself?

Happy I havent' sent in for an upgrade yet. Completely NOT feeling like a sandbagger today!

Ciao!

Velodrome!

2007-06-13T09:01:00.001-07:00

So today, as I was walking between the conference and my hotel, I decided to detour through this beautiful park that is nearby. And low and behold, I look at the park map to see where to go, and I see a VELODROME on the map! So of course I go to check it out! It was cool, and there just happened to be some people training on it, so I stopped to watch for a bit. It was pretty fun, seeing as how I've never even BEEN to a track let alone ride on one. It was fun, but it made me miss my bike even more...

Bonjour from Lyon!

2007-06-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been in France for a few days now. I have not ridden my bike in 6 days, which is the longest dry spell i've had since crashing on my shoulder last fall (and that only led to 7 days off the bike, although my orthopedic dr. has no idea). I'm in France, and I have no bike! There are these cute little rental cruiser bikes...but you need a 'smart' credit card to rent them. Everywhere I go there are these cute little bikes in stations. If you have the magic credit card, you can put it in a machine, and then it allows you to unlock a bike and take it. Then you drop it off at your destination. It is really quite impressive. I am very bummed that the US has not gone 'smart card' yet, so I am stuck looking at all these bikes mocking me, as I continue the long slog from my hotel to the conference.

What makes it even worse, is that I am on a 'team bike challenge' team this month! We get points for utilitarian bike trips...and these 8 days in france are really going to bring down my team's average!

Anyway..aside from the fact that I'm in France in June instead of July, it is really quite lovely. I had 3 days in Paris, and am now in Lyon. It is beautiful, green, lush, and there are lots of wonderful dogs everywhere. I'm quite taken with the place, not to mention the food.

On another note...my coach and her team are racing RAAM starting today! Here is the website for updates. Wish them well...what an endeavor!!! Go Pink!!!!

Au revoir!

Au Revoir...

2007-06-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow I am off to the fine french cities of Paris and Lyon for 8 days! The weekend in Paris is a little mini-vacation for me, and the week in Lyon is to attend Transducers 2007, a major conference in my field. I'm still hoping I'll be able to blog while in Europe, but the frequency will probably be somewhat less!

For all those of you racing this weekend, in Bakersfield or elsewhere, best of luck, ride hard, ride fast, and keep the rubber side down!

Back from my little foray off the bike in about a week...hopefully full of stories to tell about adventures in another land.

Au Revoir... (I don't know more than two words of french...ack!)

The things people say...

2007-06-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Meh-wee-uhn posted a funny quote on her blog. This led to me telling her some funny quotes that were recently said to me. Although potentially creating serious trouble for myself in the interest of entertaining the couple of people who read my blog...I will repeat some of the funny quotes I have heard lately. Names have been withheld to protect the innocent (well, except for mine, because I'm usually not innocent!).

These quotes however, have all actually been uttered...and the integrity of context is also maintained.

The top 10 funniest things I've heard lately (or at least those I can think of tonight):

10. "They shouldn't be in our division. They look OLD," Overheard by a club member at the team time trial last weekend, when noticing some fast-looking people warming up nearby (whom our coach had said were in our age division (140+)).

9. "It must have been the wheels," To me, on why I beat someone in the Kern Time trial, even after dropping my chain in the middle and having to get off my bike and untangle it from my derailleur.

8. "Ya think ya could point out that there's a f*ing TREE in the road!!" to me on my very first co-ed group ride last fall when I missed pointing out a small stick in the road. Ooops.

7. "YOU have, like, a doctorate?" heard on a group ride when someone asked me what I did for a living. I think it's good that I don't appear geeky enough to be a nerd!!

6. "Why is it that we take a perfectly good Saturday to drive out into the middle of the desert to race our bikes in 100 degree heat? Oh yeah, because it's supposed to be fun!" remarked on the way to yet another bike race in the desert.

5. "Does your helmet even fit you anymore?" on the big head that has resulted from an overgrown ego after telling my teammates about a recent good result. Really, I didn't make THAT big a deal of it! Another friend confirmed today that I do *not* have an uncontrollably big ego.

4. "Let's all stare at Kim's chest now," on my teammates who were all looking at the gold Irish Setter necklace I was wearing at the TTT last weekend, since my lucky necklace broke last Tuesday!

3. "Chamois' have come a long time since the 80's," remarking on a friends 'retro bike shorts' that she had had since the 80's! Needless to say, we brought her up to date with some new shorts that actually had a padded chamois! Ahhhhh. What she had been missing...

2. "Hey, Kim, you're looking pretty hot today," a friend of mine is ALWAYS saying this to me, after seeing *this* video online last year!

AND
the number one funny quote I've heard lately (and to she who uttered this comment...I love ya dearly...and just think it was funny, and still is):

1. "I thought your butt was bigger than that!" said to ME at the regroup spot on a morning group ride. She went on to say how she was chasing me up the hill, and thought it was me, but then decided it wasn't because not only was I fast, my butt was definitely bigger than that! I still don't know if it was a compliment or not! Hmmmmmmmmm.

Now...I'd like to hear your funny quotes! Comment away all! This week's contest (sorry for last week's winner--I have not figured out what the prizes are, other than a nice mention on the blog...) is "What's the funniest thing said to you lately?"

Ciao!

Weekend Post-Bike-Racing Work?

2007-06-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

These two photos were taken the same day..about 7 hours apart. If you look closely, I *am* in both!

So on Saturday Evening, after the long drive back from the TTT (where I still don't know how my team placed, or our official time), I had to go to a retirement party. All the people there were members of the Control, Computation and Dynamical Systems Center at UCSB, and their significant others. The food was great, a middle-eastern theme, and so was the wine! I was still feeling a bit sun-baked from the racing in the desert...but nothing a glass of wine (or 2 or 3) won't fix! This strangely organized spur-of-the-moment photo was taken...as you can all see, I'm the only female (again). I also might actually be the youngest as well, although I have been at UCSB for *8* years...so I don't feel like a youngster! I just thought it was funny...to go from one extreme (bike racing with my women's team) to the other (geeky work) in a few short hours.

I go to France for a conference (in Lyon, but spending the weekend in Paris) on Thursday....so I will be riding hard over the next few days in anticipation of my big 8 day break, which I'm hoping will consist of great food, great wine, some sightseeing, visiting with colleagues/friends from all over the world, and some much needed R&R. (strange when R&R has to come in the form of a conference....but alas that is my life). I'm hoping to keep up the blogging while I'm gone..but who knows...

Ciao! or is it Au Revoir...

TTT!

2007-06-03T08:52:00.001-07:00

The Team TT championships in Palmdale. From Left (Susie, Susan, Me, Ginger)

Well, I wish I could tell you all how we did in the TTT, but I don't know! It took so long for the results to come out, that I had to leave to drive home...and so did my teammates so no one knows! I did notice that we were one of only 2 all-cat-4 teams in our division (140+) and I know we got passed by one very fast team, and Pam Schuster's all-cat-1 team was most certainly a lot faster than us...so I didn't fear missing a medal ceremony :-).

Anyway, the good news is that we did better in the real thing than in any of our practices! We worked together well, didn't crash each other out when a DOG ran right out in the road and chased us...nearly got run over by an obnoxious car passing a truck with cyclists on both sides of the road, and I led our team through all the corners at reasonable speed (although I dropped them coming out of the turns..ill have to work on that). We dropped our 4th teammate about 10 miles in, but she pulled hard and worked hard and dug deeper than I could have imagined, and I'm super proud of her. She also finished the race instead of dropping out when all the other dropped riders got back to the parking. Her logic was...what if one of you guys gets a flat and you need me to finish. What a teammie :-)!!! And although I can never call a 40K TT 'fun', the whole experience, well, it sort of was!

And someday I'll figure out how we did.

Ciao!

a lot of heart beats!

2007-06-01T12:08:00.001-07:00

Kern Time Trial (see the chain drop after the turnaround :-()

Kern Walker Basin RR

Kern Breckenridge Hill Climb (Havilah Hill Climb?)

Kern Iron Mountain Road Race

So I finally got around to uploading all of my Heart Rate Data from Kern. It was pretty interesting (to me). Anyway, here's the 4 race, in order. The TT was on Friday, the first RR and the Hill Climb were on Saturday, and the final RR was on sunday. I don't have a speed sensor hooked up to my HRM, so the speed data is meaningless except on the TT, when I did in fact have the speed sensor hooked up on the TT bike (probably made it less aero).

mmmm...data. Next up, tomorrow's team TT!

Ciao!

The Data Crunching Begins...

2007-05-31T13:52:00.001-07:00

This is my power data from the Hillclimb at Kern. I use a *gasp* ibike to collect this data. It's not as good as a powertap...but a heck of a lot cheaper, and still a lot of fun. I first bought it because it uses MEMS accelerometers and pressure sensors, and that is a technology I still work on...so it's nice to see it ending up in products! How it works is it has microaccelerometers and tilt sensors to measure the acceleration and the road grade. It also has a pressure sensor which measures the wind forces acting against you, as well as you calibrate it to account for the frictional losses in your bike/tires/etc. Then it uses the equation P=F*v (power=force times velocity--all vectors of course) and by measuring speed on a wheel pickup, and remembering Newtons Law (F=ma (also vectors)), you can calculate power. Now, it has its good and its bad, but mostly I like it, and it is a MUCH cheaper alternative to a PowerTap.

Anyway, I took data in all my races at Kern except for the TT, as I didn't want to re-mount the thing between races. I didn't have time to go into the data set and delete the downhill part of this file...so the average power isn't really that meaningful...from a quick look at the graph it looks like the average power for me on this climb hovered a tad under 200. Not bad for me, considering Im a lightweight (a tad under 130). I got what I got...although happily I have improved over the training season, so that's all good!

Of course I don't like to get too invovled with the numbers...as it then becomes too much like work and not enough like fun...but sometimes it's neat to look at and look for improvement, etc. :-) And sometimes its fun to look at the really fun stuff like the 900W sprint at the end of a brutal race...to relive the fun.

Ciao!

Wednesday puppy photo and cycling musings

2007-05-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

So...the TTT is coming together! I survived practice last night, and it's seeming more realistic now. Once we ramped up the speed things became easier. We have the order down now, I have good strategy, we're communicating well, and feeling more confident about the wheels in front of us. We have a plan! I think I might survive this event yet! The stress and TT-position induced back/hip pain didn't show up until the very end of our 1.5 hour practice, and when I spun home it went away again :-).

And on the puppy photos end....it is coming up on Mr. Aidan's (otherwise known as Poosk, or formally as Ch. WindRose Whisperin' Spirits) 7th birthday! He was one of 13 pups born on June 13, 2000. He was also born on a Friday the 13th! I thought I would start to commemorate his birth by showing some of his most adorable puppy photos and memorable wins. The first photo is is Aidan all grown up, taken at our place a couple years ago, and the second is the very first day Aidan moved in(he was 14 weeks old).

Enjoy!!
Ciao!

Women Can't Descend???

2007-05-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

Someone (cyclistrick*) happened to overhear a comment at mt. ham at the officials table about how they need to neutralize the descent for the women next year because "women can't descend." I must take offense at that comment...being a women, and one with a small ego problem at that!

Now....I would argue that descending is a skill, like many other skills. And beginners are sometimes not so good at certain skills. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I have certainly seen sketchy downhillers, both male and female. I was even myself a bit sketchy for a couple weeks after healing from my downhill crash, while I was still fighting the nerves. The sketchy moves usually come from either pushing past your skill envelope, or letting fear rule you to the point of being unsafe. Both come from different core sources, and both can be equally scary to be around.

In my first crit (and 2nd bike race ever), I was terrified. I was told time and time again that I had good bike handling skills (for my level and experience) and that it would be fine. I had one sketchy move in that race, being caught inside going into a corner, and having someone from the outside cut in and give me nowhere to go. Thankfully I was aware, and did not jerk or brake crazily, narrowly missing the wheel in front of me, sliding out a tad, and not taking out anyone else in my little madness. However, I was beating myself up afterwards for being a 'bad cornerer'. But to solve this, every day on my bike commute, I would ride through the little windy bike paths on the way to campus, vowing never to use the brakes and to take things as fast as I possibly could..winding around co-eds on cell phones, skateboarders, and sticking to the path. I learned the limits of my leaning and cornering ability, and how to re-gain the bike when it starts to slide. I also went to crit practice with the guys, did the corners at super-high speed....if I didn't take the corners well, I got dropped immediately, because the draft was the only thing saving me.... The next race, I felt secure about the cornering, and my only worry was the other folk! Criteriums became fun, strategic pursuits rather than stressful occurances. I even reagained my balance when I did get in a bad situation in one and nearly lost it (and fought back for a top 5 finish). Practice helps a lot.

In the beginner categories, I think the spectrum of experience is huge, leading to a wide range of riding styles. And this can be scary....because the new people might not know how to react to certain things, and the more experienced people might assume behaviors which are not yet innate in new riders, leading to more crashes, etc. This very fact is one reason why I'm looking forward to being a 3.

That said, back to the point at hand: these issues plague ANY beginners...not just women!!! Being a woman who has fought so long to be treated as equal in a primarily man's world, these comments hit doubly hard. I have heard so many obnoxious comments about women in engineering (in my work life), from the way women engineers look, to the way they dress, to the fact they get more opportunities than men (????), to "you got the job because we had to fill a quota," to "Dear Sir" (you wouldn't believe how many emails I get from foreign students seeking a position in a US University research lab that have a Dear Sir salutation). The more offensive ones I cannot post here...

Anyway..let us women have our chance! And let us earn respect for our talents, and our hard work, and let us play your games, have the joy of winning, the agony of defeat, the satisfaction of teammwork succeeding, and the fun of a 50mph descent, when you are one with the machine.

...and for anyone who wants to race me downhill...you'll have to catch me first!

Ciao!

*cyclistrick mentioned it on his blog because of how short-sighted and sexist this comment sounded...he is one of those great supporters of female bike racers--the people who are slowly changing these old-fashioned, frustrating viewpoints.

Monday ramblings on Tuesday

2007-05-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

so because of the holiday yesterday, it completely feels like Monday, although it's Tuesday. I know that will make me scramble on Friday, when I still have lots of work to do, and a weekend of racing and dog showing ahead of me....

So I'm beginning to feel good I didn't race this weekend, after hearing about all these crashes! I am hoping it was just a fluke, and that we'll all be keeping the rubber side down in the future! Two of my good friends crashed mountain bikes this weekend. One broken collarbone, the other just a serious case of road (er. dirt) rash. And then I read on OV's site about AJM's crash. It just all seems a bit much for one weekend! And Steve got hit by a car last week (he's ok, thankfully, and in true Steve fashion probably rode 400 miles since then! Kudos!) and Marco's group slipped on some slippery pavement on the 101 and a bunch of them crashed (although no one injured, thank goodness). Hmmm. I must say I was a bit worried about taking the old TT bike out for it's morning intervals this morning. The Karma seemed bad...

..but all was ok. I'm successfully back from my TT intervals, and the rubber side stayed down. So let's hope this week of crashing is behind us all! And for those with injuries...heal quickly, and enjoy the time off the bike! I know it's hard to do...but just think about all the things that get swept under the proverbial rug in order to ride the bike more. I know in my life, that rug is pretty large!

So happy riding everyone! Good luck to all racing Mt. Hood-I'm jealous! That darn work thing gets in the way far too often. However, it does subsidize this crazy habit of mine, so I have to keep on with it! And occasionally it, too, is fun!

Ciao!

the woes of the TTT

2007-05-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

Ok...so I need some help! My bike and I have had a blissful relationship. Granted, it's only been going on 10 months...almost 11, so maybe we haven't had time to hit all the rough spots yet. We've been through so many firsts together, beautiful challenging rides, centuries, a week of camp, my first and only win, good finishes, bad finishes, but I always end the days looking forward to the next ride. The bike is my escape from the woes of the regular world, the things in life I can't control so much. It gives me great joy to fly down those descents, to give all I have to gain a new PR, to win a sprint, or even to lose if I'm giving it everything I've got! I give it TLC, and it rewards me many times over. Even the new TT bike has given me some fun as of late. I had a great time riding it to a win in our club TT (ok...so I got 25th overall...but still managed to win the women's division, and finish mid-pack in the men), and it made me feel fast at Kern.

So why, then, am I sitting here dreading getting on the bike tomorrow? I strongly dislike TTT practice. It gets me stressed out just thinking about it, and after about an hour of practice, this muscle in my back/hip starts to scream loudly as well. I think its because the TTT brings out the weaknesses in my riding, and I hate feeling vulnerable and bad at things. It's one thing to not stick on a wheel in a race...but in a TTT, well, its kind of essential. And turning tight turns on the TT bike at speed..hmmm (thinking about dropping my chain in that TT last week). And descents when you have to follow someone's wheel AND stay aero AND not brake (normally descending is my flat out favorite thing on the bike, and people seem to think I'm pretty talented in that department). All of these things that I didn't have to think about before on the TT bike, because I wasn't riding around anyone else! The TTT just accentuates all weaknesses, and I don't like it one bit! I need to find something positive about the TTT and try to do a complete attitude adjustment this week....as this week is all about the TTT. Next week I can get back to the riding I love, and me and my bike can re-aquaint (for a couple days, then I leave it again to go to Paris).

In my desire to become a better (and faster) cyclist, I'm leaving the ego out to dry, and trying as hard as I can to look for something beneficial in the TTT....

but right now, climbing a mountain just seems so much easier.

Ciao!

On not racing...

2007-05-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

I decided not to race this weekend. There was a race I could have gone to, the flat Barry Wolfe criterium in Woodland Hills. It had a cat 4 women's race, and although I'm just barely eligible for upgrade now, I am still a 4. The start time is a lovely 7:31am or some early time like that. This was the kicker...I realized that I wouldn't be home for many many weekends in a row coming up....here is my schedule!

next weekend: The state TTT championships (Saturday) in Lancaster, and a dog show (Sunday) in Pasadena
Weekend after: Paris and Lyon! (and many many frequent flier miles to add to the account)
Weekend after: UCSB Graduation (now, I will be in town, but it will be filled with graduation parties, hooding 2 of my students who are getting Ph.D.'s, college dinners, etc. etc....busy but fun time)
Weekend after: Maybe a stage race in Oregon if I can get my act together (and my fitness peaking at the right time again)
And then it is nearly July! And I don't mention the at least 1 trip to the Bay area for work (Berkeley) and possibly a 2nd trip to Stanford in there!

So...I decided to bail on the race, try to sleep in past 5:45, and take my dog to the beach with a detour to our favorite bagel shop! I know I will feel a tad of remorse at 7:31am tomorrow, knowing I could have gotten up at 4:30 to drive to that bike race...but instead I got my favorite climbing ride this morning (3 hours, 5k climb, 44 mile ride, rode out of the marine layer and into a flat-out gorgeous day), and don't have to worry about my legs being a little toasted tomorrow. If I'm lucky, a ride will also come my way tomorrow!

So good luck all you so-cal cat 4's...you won't have to worry about me (Ha!)!

Ciao!

Postscript: I noticed the Kern results have been posted.... :-)

Daily Poll

2007-05-25T16:45:00.001-07:00

I've decided to have some fun with this blog, by instituting a weekly poll :-) I must admit that the idea for today's question came to me after the whole pop-tart confessional on velobellababble.blogspot.com today (it made me laugh audibally while IN a session at this conference I'm stuck at today...almost got in trouble!). So...here's your chance, friendly commenters, to tell all your secrets (or mislead your competition)!

Question of the day:

What is the wierdest thing you have eaten during a race?

I'll start the answers off: The bug of unknown type that flew into my mouth last week in the Walker Basin RR. Must have made the difference...since i won! ICK!!!

Ciao!

no more blogging...

2007-05-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

until I finish this talk I have to give tomorrow! I'm so procrastinat-y tonight...Firefox is going off, and you'll all have to leave me fun and interesting comments that I"ll read AFTER I make up this talk. "A survey of nonlinear dynamics in Micro and Nanosystems" Sounds great, doesn't it? 30 minutes of pure powerpoint delight...

On a quick cycling note: I went on the Echelon almost-no-drop women's ride, and it was freeeeezing! If it wasn't for Ginger's quick wit and hilarious nature, carol's, I don't think i would have made it! My back was so freakin' sore. I have realized that I CANNOT ride that TT bike for over 2.5 hours at a shot without paying for it the next day. Last night I had TTT practice, and today I could barely sit on my road bike. Massage in my near future, it seems... I am not one who gets sore easily, and is not easily deterred (i.e. after crashing last fall and breaking my collarbone, grade III separation of the shoulder, broken rib2, a bruised hip and a banged up cheek i was back on the trainer in a week and outside riding in 2 weeks) but yet this achy pain is really annoying!!!!!!!!

Oh well...back to work. more blogging later!
Ciao!!

when you think your day is bad...

2007-05-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

...inevitably someone else's is worse!

I was feeling a bit b*tchy today....I have a ton of work to do, a conference here to attend all day tomorrow and ALL day Saturday (ssshhhh...don't tell anyone I'm skipping Saturday morning to go on a bike ride), a bunch of meeting this afternoon, a bunch of voicemails I've been avoiding...and then I get an email from Dotsie (my friend and amazing bike racer chick--see link). I didn't ask her if I could post her email..so I will just paraphrase, but she wrote me from Venezuela where she is for the Pan-Am championships. After some airport/ticket hassles she finally gets there, but her bikes did not make it! And so she has a TT tomorrow and no bikes! And a bunch of the Track team are sick and on IV's, which she is of course trying to avoid, and it is too dangerous to go out without a police escort! Sounds like a darn lovely place...

So I'm proclaiming to all in the blogosphere...my life is pretty darn good! And GOOD LUCK DOTSIE!!!!!

on women and weight loss...

2007-05-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

As those of you who read my blog know, I just got back from a womens-only stage race. The racing was great, and I've hashed it over and over for all to re-live. As I said, the positive energy was really special, and it made for an event that I'll remember always. However, there are a few things that happened that made me go hmmmmm and I decided to record them for all posterity.

Now, for the record, I work with mostly all men. I am not used to hanging out with large groups of women for long periods of time. I observed that hanging out with super-fit women made me very self consious about my weight! Now, I have a long history with weight, due to a very serious case of Hashimoto's hypothyroidism. I was always the skinny kid who could eat anything and never gain weight. Unfortunately for my social status, I was also not blessed in the bosom department...something that now I find completely fine, but when I was 16 was not so great. But, I could eat and eat and never gain a pound. I was very active, ran cross-country, track, spent lots of time exercising my dogs, etc, and weight was something I never thought about. The 'fat kid' in my mind was someone who didn't take care of themself.

This all changed when I was in graduate school. My husband (rather new at the time) had a very very serious medical condition which transformed my role from student to student/caretaker, which threw me for a serious loop! All of a sudden my time was entirely consumed by things I would never have imagined. My progress on my experiments slowed, and I became exhausted. Even after the issues subsided, all of a sudden I found myself exhausted all of the time. I would come home from work, and fall asleep on the couch, unable to do even the simplest things like run the dog, cook dinner, etc. It all seemed to take so much energy! And although I continued to eat the same, I gained about 20 pounds.

This continued for like the next 6 years! I graduated, got a great job at UCSB, moved across the country, started a new life, and still had these nagging issues with weight and energy. Even with unhealthy amounts of caffeinated beverages, I could not stay awake for a 4-5pm seminar, or even drive home some days! I thought I was just working too hard, trying to establish my research program and show dogs on the weekends. I thought i was pushing hard, and pushing hard is the lifestyle I like! Thankfully when I turned 30 I had some bloodwork done, and my doctor called me the day the results were in. This is how the conversation went:

Doc: How are you feeling?
Me: Fine, tired.
Doc: You need more blood tests
Me: What's wrong with me?
Doc: Don't know yet, go get more blood tests. Are you sure you can drive yourself to the hospital?
Me: Yes, I've been driving for years.
Doc: Ok, but be careful.

The new tests came back, and I was diagnosed with severe hypothyroidism. My TSH was so high, my doctor was actually afraid of me being non-functional! She prescribed thyroid hormone replacement right away, and I had to go in for ultrasound scans to rule out cancer (my mom had thyroid cancer). Thankfully no cancer, but I did have an irregular and enlarged thyroid. The next problem was that the t4 synthetic hormone replacement did nothing for me. So here I was with this diagnosed condition, was getting a synthetic hormone that made my TSH bloodwork look fine, and yet I still had no energy, and I was still not able to lose weight. This went on for a couple years.

Finally I had had enough. This was just not going to take control of my life. I already lost 6+ years on it and I was not going to let it happen again. So I decided to do an experiment. I am a scientist...and I determined that there must be SOME level of calories I could eat and actually lose weight. So I went kind of anorexic like on my self, and started basically not eating. Ok...so I was eating 1000 calories a day. I did lose a couple of pounds...but hardly any! And i was careful! I also started exercising like mad during this time. So I was running an hour a day, eating almost nothing, exhausted, and not even losing weight! (at this point I was still about 30 pounds heavier than I wanted to be). I went to my endocrinologist who proclaimed my thyroid treatment just fine. I explained that I wasn't losing weight and I still had no energy, and he looked me in the eye and said:
"if you eat less you will lose weight". Arrrrggggh. I lost it, left his office sniffling back tears, and vowed to figure this thing out.

Endocrinologist number 2 was a different story. He had a much more progressive outlook on thyroid disease. He said that although my TSH bloodwork looked fine, clearly my body was not responding to the hormone I was being given. He gave me a different hormone combination, one that combined the two hormones, T3 and T4, and I immediately felt a difference. All of a sudden my brain felt like teh synapses were firing again! Wow! Out of the fog! Due to the energy, my hour long runs became a lot brisker, and the weight started to come off! I was still eating way too little, but i was losing weight, and that made it positive reinforcement. I started figuring out why people become anorexic...the positive reinforcement is really addictive.

It still took a LONG time to lose the weight. And although I never thought I was that body consious, I guess I am! I lost 30 pounds and gained a lot of muscle. I trained for a marathon, and I eventually started cycling, which changed my body even more. I was feeling pretty good about the whole process, and I even adjusted my eating habits so I can eat pretty normally these days. My thyroid, while not entirely stable, is at least manageable these days. I feel like I got my life back.

However, the weekend of being around women bike racers...well, that brought some weird feelings into the old head... All of a sudden I felt fat again! I felt all self-consious in the skin suit, and noticed that when hanging out, the conversation would often turn to 'how thin someone was' or 'how great someone's body was' or 'why can't I have muscles like that.' It was bizarre... I also found myself not wanting to eat the twizzlers I like so much, or too much 'bad' food. :-) I even found myself staring at the computer with a bit of trepidation when looking at the race photos, for fear I would 'look fat'! How crazy is that! A situation that causes a normally self-confident, independent, successful woman to feel so self-consious about something like weight! Weird...

Anyway...I am determined not to get weight consious. I know I need to weigh a certain amount to be healthy, and I am not going to lose that perspective in order to climb a hill a few seconds faster. Just remembering to not take 2 water bottles on a 9 mile hill climb race will do that! And I'm going to remember that I am who I am...and a couple of pounds is not going to change that...no matter what people may say about me or my appearance.

I am bigger than that. (pun maybe intended)

Kern Commencement (aka. the survival of kern and hopefully the beginning of a new phase in my racing)

2007-05-22T09:50:00.001-07:00

OK. Stage 4. I didn't sleep as well Saturday night. I was so keyed up from the day's events, that it was hard to fall asleep. Me and Susan kept chatting, and also that was about when I realized that the cabin had wireless...so I just had to check up on all the blogs, and my email, etc.! Silly internet addictions.... Anyway, I finally did fall asleep, and once asleep that was that. The next morning, we had to wake up at 4:30 because we were so far from Race 4. We left at 5:30, car fully packed, and I wasn't feeling so bad. Thank goodness for early morning cappucinos :-).

I was feeling good about the race, but a little worried. One of the problems with being new to bike racing and cycling in general is that I don't quite trust my endurance. That nagging negative voice in the back of my head kept remembering me getting dropped in the first (and so much easier it doesnt compare) stage race I did a month ago. Granted, I don't know why that little voice doesn't also remember that I got dropped because I dropped my chain twice and couldnt shift into my big chain ring...but it doesn't. It blames it all on my endurance...and gets me questioning things. This is where having a good teammate comes in. Susan (who also happens to be a therapist...) gets on me and banishes all negative self-talk. She tells me how strong I am, how she is going to blow herself up to help me do well, how I am peaking, how I should just not worry about it...and tells me that I am the one who convinced her to go to this race with the premise that "no matter what, we would have fun, and our main goal would be working as a team and finishing". So since that was my goal...I decided I better work on it!

WE get to the race, and I all of a sudden feel ok! I chat with some people, and then mee-wee-un comes over and strategizes with me about a plan. We have a plan! All of a sudden my race has meaning. I have to help someone else! I have to hang in there because someone else's result depends on me! All the nerves immediately vanished and I felt a purpose. It wasn't about me...and that made it okay to want to fight hard.

The race starts on schedule, and all went flawlessly except that I lost my gloves. I think they lost themselves, because in the earlier RR, my fingers on my left hand had fallen asleep because the pad in them is failing... :-) Turned out to be better to not have them. I found them riht after the race...of course!

We start climbing, and wow, my legs feel good! I mean, not fresh, but good! I was surprised about this. I'm spinning along happily and feeling like maybe I can do this! We get done with the first climb, and I enjoy the first descent. This is gonna be fun! Then we climb some more, and then comes a BIG descent ,about half way through the first 24 mile lap. I had just pulled at the front, and was now sitting in the back, when we round a turn and see the beautiful descent. Oh well, I think to myself, it will be ok, I'll be ok not taking this one at my normal breakneck speed...and follow. But around the turn, I see the good descenders up front start to get a big gap. ACK! My little brain is going, damn, I'm missing the break, I've gotta go! I pass one slow girl, and then another, and then I see my teammate. She is a good descender, and is not going to miss an apex..but i've GOTTA get by her! I yell to her to let me in, and she beautifully makes a hole and I scoot through, gaining time as I slide by and make up more time. I get by 2 other people and then I chase. Thank goodness for that 11 gear. I chased, and had to chase a little hard on the rollers that followed, but soon caught the break. It was a good thing I did, because that was teh key break that split the race. I ride up to mee-wee-uhn and tell her I'm back and she seems happy to see me. We're back in business...whew! She gave me her wheel so I could recover from my chase effort, and I settled back in and the legs were feeling good again.

We had some nice team-work around the backside...it was all good. We even got a rotating paceline going and going quite well! We passed some stragglers from the race in front of us, and we were having fun! Fun in a bike race...what a concept. This group of women was outstanding....funny, smart, silly, I smile just thinking about it. We continue working together quite well, through the finish line climb, and then start lap 2. Now things are stil going along happily...by now I know most of the people in our break by name, and we're doing well. Right on the first climb of the second lap, mee-wee-uhn gets her chain all tangled up in the derailleur! Now, I can certainly feel her pain here, and I didn't want the girls in 2nd and 3rd in the GC to attack her here (the 2nd and 3rd were on the same team), so I start telling stories about my dropped chains and how much it sucks. That seems to work..I stayed in the pack...tried to slow it a little, and other girls started talking about their stories, too. It worked..and soon she was back! Everyone was nice in this situation...and i was happy...

The second time down the big descent was truly awesome. It has to be one of my top moments on the bike...i was smiling cause I couldn't help it! I was back int he pack, but this is a pack of good descenders. We all started down, beautiful apexes...for a few turns I was happy to just marvel at the sight--what a great group of 4s (granted most are near upgrade)! Then I let loose...I have that great 11 cog...which allows me to get some serious momentum...and down I went. I caught up to everyone, and in my tuck, I did glance at my spedometer just in tiem to see it click from 49.9-50! Wow!!!! I don't even think I had to climb up the next hill! We were all excited about that afterwards.

The descent over, the rollers began again, and we again formed our paceline. One girl was struggling, and we knew she wouldnt sprint for the win, so we let her sit on while we shared the load. WE worked the backside quite well, but when the climbing started again, we had to stop wtih the pacelining. By this time, my legs were saying "ummmmm. we' have worked pretty hard for you these past couple days...when is this going to end," and I was not so happy. I kept drinking, and eating (I ate 3 gu's which is a record for me, since I'm not a good race eater...stil working on that), and hoping they'd hang in there. We all stuck together until about 2 miles to go, when a little gap formed between me and the three leaders. Dammmm. I tried, but the old heart rate would just not go above 179 (my max is 201). Legs burning at this point, but I tried and tried. Our plan was not going to work! I closed the gap mostly, but I got gapped again on the last climb to teh finish.

I saw them finish, and still wanted to minimize my time, even though I knew I was getting 4th. I make it a point to not look back...and I didn't want anyone to catch me (there was no one there...), so I wanted to sprint in. I downshifted, got out of the saddle, and went, but there were two racers from the 3's (who had an extra lap) right there in teh lane, spinning slowly! I made a big time wrong decision here...and went wide around them. I was so tired i wasn't thinking about the centerline. ACK. I'm such an idiot. I cross the finish line at the same time as I realize I crossed the centerline too. YIKES. I thought I would get disqualified, and after all that work! I crossed the line and had a complete meltdown. I am really not proud of it...I don't know WHY I am so hard on myself, but I am. Denise and Angie (my friends, who was there to support the Kalyra women) were there, and she tried to talk me out of my obnoxious crying state. Then mee-wee-uhn came over too, and this was sort of our exchange as i remember it:

Her: Sorry the plan didn't work
Me: I just couldn't hang on.. so sorry. You did awesome (she had won).
Me; I'm such an idiot
Her: No you're not!
Me: Yes I am
Her: No you're not...let me hold your bike (as I'm about to fall over)
Me: No
Her: You are not an idiot...you were RACING your bike! You were RACING. Everyone makes these errors.
Me: Im an idiot.
Her: It is JUST A BIKE RACE. It was AWESOME!
Me: I'm glad you won...you won everything! Thats totally awesome! Way to go!
Her: It was a fun bike race
Me: It really was!

The official comes over and says that I will probably just get a stern warning because I wasn't trying to advance my position, and I didn't pass anyone from my own race in my little craziness, but that I should be careful about my finishing sprints in future races...

Her: Let's spin out.
Me: Ok, lets!
Me; Congratulations again, you were awesome
Her: Sorry the plan didn't work
Me; it was my fault...the old legs just didn't have it in them on that final climb!
(I'll leave it to the readers to figure out what our plan really was...)

Anyway, I finished 4th, and 4th in the GC! I went from 8th after the TT, to 4th after Stage 4. I was super pleased with myself, and my teammates sacrifice for me. She finished 9th in the GC. And I have a new found respect for how great it is to ride with team members, even when they are from other teams, and you just are working for a common goal. It was so awesome...all 4 of us top finishers were friends by the end, and looking forward to racing again together. We were happy for each others successes, and that was just special.

So there you have it. My Kern. As the photos start appearing on the web, I"ll add them to these posts...but for now, you'll just have to use your imaginations... I know I will never forget any of it!

Congrats to all: Marian, Julie, Sarah, you were awesome. Susan, you were a great teammate-saved my race! Liz, it was fun to work with and ride with you.

With dreams of future bike races...

Ciao!

Kern Volume 3 (The Hill Climb!)

2007-05-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

Time for the hill climb! When the hill climb came around, I was still high from the previous race, which was a good thing. It was a 9 mile climb, I wasn't sure about the elevation gain. I had seen the switchbacks the day before, and likened it to a couple of climbs around SB that I enjoy very much. So I was trying to think of it as fun, as I used to think I was a climber (before I met my teammate Susie who can drop me like a rock on climbs). I spun out as I was supposed to, and I was pretty psyched for it.

It was pretty warm when it started. It is a bit deceiving. The first few miles before you even get to the 'climb' were still uphill! My bike has a beautiful set of gears with an 11-26 spread! This gives me the climbing gear to spin up all but the steepest sections (I don't even use it that much...but it can help to be able to spin a 70 cadence on really quite steep slopes), but yet gives me that extra bottom end for the descending that I love so much.

I led the group up to the cattle crossing at the turn. It wasn't that windy, so I didn't feel like I was doing that much extra work, and the lack of stress associated with not have to follow a potentially sketchy wheel while climbing was ll worth it. I knew that I was just going to take the climb at my own pace. A group of us started up, and I think there were 6 or 7 in our group. I felt fine and in the groove for the first couple miles, but then I realized that I was working a bit hard in this section, and I needed to back off. I have the desire to nearly outride my ability (thus potentially puking, blowing up, bonking....anything can happen) so at least I realized it this time before it happened! I backed off, and watched a few of them get a leg up on me. However, as my coach said it would, I started reeling them back in. I passed the water stop nearly on my own, and didn't take water. I was in a groove, and still had too much water (feeling lame for bringing 2 water bottles), but the 'wow, you're a stud' comment from the feeders didn't hurt the old ego :-). I kept thinking about breathing, hearing the energetic songs from my warmup ipod track still thumping in my head, spinning easy, rhythm, etc. Soon I caught up to a metromint girl, who I knew was just near the lead pack. WE climbed together...we were really similar in climbing ability that day. We shared the climbing for the last couple of miles. We were reeling in the leaders by this point. I had been informally timing them as they passed landmarks to see what the time gap was (ever the engineer...geeky as usual), and we were cutting it... The 1 mile to go sign was nice..but it really was more than 1! Sarah (metromint) and i had some choice words for that when a mile was up and the finish was not in sight! When I finally did see the finish, the adrenaline rush allowed me to ride away from Sarah and zoom for the line. That was fun to look at on my ibike file!

I didn't win, but I finished strong...and that made me pleased. And the descent down the mountain, well, that was amazing. I love descending, and that was a fun one. I held back quite a bit due to all the other riders, but it was still fun!

The cold water at the top was most excellent, too!!

Ciao--one report to go...that one will have to wait for tomorrow...

Kern Reports (Stage 2)-my first victory!

2007-05-21T10:49:00.001-07:00

Ok..so i sort of let the cat out of the bag on this one..but I couldn't help it! I finally won a race! For those of you who don't care, you can stop reading here..if you want the gory (potentially boring) details of the thing...read on!

So I slept REALLY well the first night. I mean, I closed my eyes, and didn't stir until the alarm went off! I woke up nervous...2 races in one day, including a really brutal hill climb. I wondered how things would go. I still think I'm no good at the flat windy races (see comment below regarding my change in belief), and so I wasn't sure. I was staying in a friend's cabin about 15 minutes from the start of the RR, so that was convenient!

I didn't do a crazy warmup today. My coach, Jill, said that the first lap would be the rest of my warmup..to spin my legs out ahead of time, but not to go too crazy with warmup. Thank goodness, because by the time I got the whole extra wheels in the follow car, signed in, got my bike off the car, etc..I didn't have a lot of time anyway! I found out I was in 8th position after the TT, and being competitive I did not really want to remain there. I still don't fancy myself a sprinter so I didn't think the lap bonuses were going to be coming my way, although if I had to race it again I'm not sure I would have thought that.

So..the race started slowly. Girls were chatting. I kind of liked it. IT was like a recovery ride of sorts! Weird...a few girls expressed some displeasure at this pace and the way things were going, but overall the pack was clearly conserving energy. When we neared about 1 mile to the start/finish, the pace would pick up, people would try and position for the sprints. It was fun, but usually I was in a bad position. I only had 1 teammate in the race, and I hadn't told her I wanted to go for the sprints... but then when it comes to the final lap, I decide that I'm going to go for it. I have nothing to lose, and getting a time bonus for placing would not hurt me at all in the GC... So, my teammate and I start to strategize in the last lap. We see the metromint girls and the velobellas doing the same thing... I was on top of it (wow...my brain is actually working while racing...what a concept!), and was maybe 5-6th wheel coming into the final couple turns. We get around the turns and I'm on the inside..just where I want to be. Someone is up ahead of me (can't remember her name now..in a pink jersey), and there is a teeny opening between her and the gravel. i decide it's worth the risk, and I can hit the gravel if necessary...and I go for it. The legs feel great, and I slide right up the inside of the turn and by her. Then I see it wide open, with a mentromint girl and a girl in red sprinting for the win. I know I've got a big punch going, and i just keep the momentum up, and go right by the one girl and cross the line right with the other. It was awesome. What an adrenaline rush! Wow. I am maxed out on HR, and barely breathing at that point...but it was definitely the best feeling! Turns out that the other girl had skirted the wrong side of the double yellow line to get around the field, which was strictly forbidden by the officials, and she got a time penalty. So I got the win regardless. I felt a bit bad for her, but hey, i could have gone around the field too...but I didn't, and still got through in time.

So maybe I'm a sprinter??? Nah...but I did win a bike race! And the prize for it was a funny little plaque with 2 windmills and a level mounted on it. For the wind, and for the flat race. Two things I never thought I was any good at at all! That goes to show you how much I know!

:-)
With tired smiles,
Ciao!

Kern Reports (the beginning)

2007-05-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

(Photo credits: Michael Hernandez-THANKS!!)

I'll start at the beginning in case I start forgetting stuff after it sits in the head for too long!
Stage 1: The Bena TT
So Susan (my illustrious teammate) and I get there really early, and realize that we should have brought an EZ up tent! Ack. We are such newbies... We find the portapotties first off, and then start to get nervous. Susan asked me if I was nervous and I said no. Way to x out those negative feelings. She says, "this is intimidating" and I try to talk her out of it.

Soon my coach and her team shows up, and I start to feel better. I warm up, and get in my zone. Thanks to the ipod, and my well-designed pre-race warmup playlist..all is well. I do my full warmup and am feeling good. I also ride part of the course to see how bad the hill is and get my gearing set in my mind. I'm a little worried about the TT bike, as it has a 54 (!) big ring (I usually race on a compact) and I know it is slow to jump from small to big rings. On the test ride, I feel good, and figure out the hill. It doesn't look too bad.

Ok. So I time my start a little too closely. Jill was giving us some last minute advice, and I look at my watch and am like, "my start time is in 3 minutes, i have GOT to go!" She says, "next time give yourself a bit extra..." as I'm riding away, completely panicked. I rip my ipod off just in time and hide it by the car wheel...ack. I get to the start line, and sure enough, the girl 2 in front of me is taking off. There is a dude taking photos of the start, who turns out to be no other than OV! He introduces himself, and then the girl in front of me does too...turns out she is also a fellow blogger, Marian (the eventual winner). I recognized her from Sea Otter. That interaction calmed me down,a nd I didn't even stress about the whole start. I got my gearing right, and easily ramped up the speed at the start, feeling super good about my TT position. It is not much to talk about...I kept Marian in my sights for the first half...and things were looking and feeling good. Until the turn around. Ok...so I'm not that good at the whole TT bike yet...and the turn around was just a guy and a cone in the road. I slow to make the turn, but managed to catch a little gravel on the side of the road. No big deal, and i got going, but I had geared down too much, and when I mashed the pedals...it was right at that instant when I thought "be easy on the pedals" that i heard the sound of a chain dropping off. Ack... OH well...I was going kind of fast by this point...so i had to slow down, as there was no getting it back on from riding like i usually do. I stopped, and fixed it and got back on as quickly as possible. It was demoralizing...but then i decided I just had to go for it and salvage this thing. I managed to do so, and finished strong. The hill climb up was fine, I was mostly aero the whole way, and just got out of the saddle at the very top. I took my coach's advice and didn't blow up on the hill, and then used the last match for the acceleration to the finish. I can't wait to download my data!

Ended up in 8th place. Hopefully I'll collect up some photos at some point and can add them to this post.

Ciao--Stage 2 to come.

Kern Highlights and Lowlights :-)

2007-05-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

Back from Kern, and too tired to write real race reports yet, so here is a small recap for those of you who are just dying to know.

Stage 1. TT.
Highlights: The new TT bike (loaner from David) made me feel really fast. The skinsuit (yes, I got one) and aero helmet didn't hurt either! It was not as hot as I have heard Kern can get....a balmy 89!

Lowlights: I dropped my chain near the turnaround...and it was bad enough I had to stop and put it back on manually...felt like a dork.

End Result: 8th place

Stage 2. Walker Basin RR.
Highlights: I won!!!!! My teammate was awesome, helped me in the race, which turned out to be an easy 4 laps, and came down to a field sprint. I found an opening and snuck up the inside wiht just enough time to get around most of the people. It was really great to have finally timed one right. And I'm beginning to think I'm more of a sprinter than I thought! (see Stage 3 highlights)
Lowlights: I crossed the line with someone else...but it turns out she had gone up the wrong side of the double yellow to pass the field rather than finding an opening in our lane...and we had been warned about that. So she got a penalty and I got the win. I felt a little bad for her...

End result: I won! Moved up to 6th in GC...things were looking up

Stage 3. Breckinridge Hill climb.

Highlights: I had a strong finish, got stronger throughout, and was closing the gap between myself and the leaders by the time the finish rolled around. I felt strong, and had a nice kick at the end to release the last bit of my energy, and get a gap on the rider near me. (granted she still was ahead of me in the GC...but you do what you can).
The bass clarinet player (I think thats what it was...I was delierious by this point) serenading us with 1.5 miles to go).
The guys cheering and giving us water (which I didn't take...not sure why...see delerious point above).
The beautiful scenery.
Lowlights: It was a LOOOOOOOONG hot hill climb
It was a LOOONG hill climb.

End results: moved up to 4th in the GC! Yeah...getting closer. Things were definitely looking up.

Stage 4. Road race.

HIghlights: The flat out fabulous descents. I went the fastest I've ever gone in a race (50.2 miles/hour)! I stayed with the lead pack the whole race.
The fabulous group of 4s I rode with! They were by far the most fun people I have ever encountered in a race. I am sorry I don't remember all of your names, but (Marian, Sarah, Julie, Kim, Liz, and one other girl I didn't catch the name of) you were flat out great to ride with. The nice rotating paceline we got going was far more than I have ever managed to accomplish in a RR to date! Awesome!!

The fact that my legs hung in there and I actually felt better than I thought I would!

Lowlights: I got dropped on the very last ascent...sigh. It was all I had. They just had one more match... Experience and strength I guess.

I got a warning for crossing the centerline at the finish. Ack! I kind of had a meltdown because I felt like such a moron, too! Ooops. There were 2 people I was encountering coming up to the finish from the 3s race, and they still had another lap...so they were not pushing. And I was trying to minimize time gaps and get in quickly so I was up out of the saddle and going fast, and they were taking up the lane. I SHOULD have sprinted to the inside...but alas I was delierious again and not thinking...and I went wide. I got off with a stern warning because I was not trying to advance my position but I can honestly say I feel really bad about it :-(. Thanks marian, for reminding me that it is JUST A BIKE RACE...and I should just let it go... you're awesome.

End Result: 4th place in the RR, and 4th in the GC!!!!!! YEAH. My best finishes to date, a win in a RR, and a bunch of new friends! Marian from Velo Bella had an AWESOME race, with 2 victories and a victory in the GC, and Sarah and Julie from Metromint were also super strong and fun to ride with! I hope to ride with you all again soon! Everyone was great, and I have to give a super thanks to my teammate Susan for helping me out this weekend, especially giving me a chance to get around her in the descent when I nearly missed the key breakaway. She saved my race! She ended up 9th in the GC.

Real reports coming...but in case you couldnt wait!

:-) tired, but thrilled. Kern is awesome!!!!

PS. Bobbi, thanks so much for letting us stay at your place 10 minutes from the RR start on Saturday! That was awesome..and Liz--great result! It was fun to ride with you.
Ciao!

Wednesday Weirdness and Ph.D. quals.

2007-05-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

I'm stuck in the office today...so not much new bike news to report on. My efforts to obtain a skinsuit by Friday's Kern TT have failed...so all those people racing against me, you can all be happy that I'll be less Aero. (I also refuse to tuck my jersey into my shorts as suggested by a fellow blogger...just too much fashion faux paux for me)

Other than that, the most interesting thing in my day was sitting through a Ph.D. qual exam. Students get so nervous about those--little do they know that by this time, they probably know more than 3/4 of their committee about the topic they're discussing...and we (the academic professoriate) use these activities as a chance to learn new things. The probing questions are actually because we want to KNOW the answer...not because we already do and are just testing you! Ack...I'm spilling all my secrets--I hope no students are reading this! Anyway, the exam was on a really neat technology that could have a significant impact on medical screening in the near future, and it was interesting.

Oh well...time to stop procrastinating and get back to work!

One more thing...it's Bike to work day!!!!!! I did, but then again I always do, so it's really not that big a deal. I did take advantage of the free coffee and juice they had on the bike path this morning, though.

Ciao!

Countdown to Kern...2 days.

Figuring out this blog thing!

2007-05-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I am finally getting around to linking my blog to everyone else's! Sorry for the delay!

Enjoy the new links. And if I forgot anyone...sorry! Just remind me with a comment! This is just a start...

Goodnight!

on my first real TT

2007-05-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

(Photos: Kimberly Weixel--Thanks!)

Success! I achieved everything I wanted to today. It was a roundabout way of making it all happen, but it happened, and I guess that's the important thing.

My racing club has a monthly TT series, which happened to be tonight. It starts early (so we can get everyone done before dark), so I knew I'd have to extract myself from the office way early in order to get everthing done. I also had to manage to get the new seat for my TT bike, and get that adjusted properly, and give myself an hour to warm up and ride over to the course, which is about 5 miles from my house. I got the new seat over lunch, but when I got home this afternoon and went to put it on, I hit my first snag...I couldn't for the life of me loosen the seat clamp! It was on there TIGHT! Ok...i tried and tried, I didn't think i was THAT weak....but I guess I am! So I didn't want to take the bike all the way downtown to my mechanic....so I called the bike shop which is 2 blocks away from my house, and thankfully the main mechanic answered, and said he would do it. So I rode it over, spare seat in my jersey pocket (sticking out the back), and he was able to get it switched out for me. I watched--it took him some serious effort, too, thus restoring my ego slightly. As I thanked him profusely and left, I said "thank goodness I'm a cyclist and not a weightlifter," which got a good chuckle :-)

On to the TT. I went early to pre-ride the course. I saw lots of other aero-looking people pre-riding the course. The one thing I saw that I didn't expect to see was a huge SNAKE in the bike lane! I had to swerve to avoid this 4-5 foot slithery thing! Ack. Thankfully that snake thought better of his positioning and removed himself before the race started. I got there and met up with David, who is the one who loaned me the bike. He said I looked great on it, nice and aero, and then gave me some pointers about how to ride a TT. It made me feel a lot better about the whole thing. Then I went and got in line. It's a self timed thing..you just line up and they send you off at 30 second intervals. David said that everyone feels awful at some point in a TT, and to just ride through it. Denise reminded me to be in the right gear at the start :-) (thanks denise!). I started mid-way through. I had a good start, got up to speed and heart rate quickly and settled into my rhythm. It always surprises me that in training it seems hard to get a 180 HR...but in a race or timed event of any sort, the little competitive spirit kicks in and I can dig a lot deeper. About half way through, I'm still rolling along, most of the hills behind me, thinking, I don't think I'm goign to be the slowest one! I then concentrate on smooth pedaling and steady breathing. And remembering where the turns are :-). After I negotiate the last turn (still getting used to the whole aero bar concept), I start back towards the finish, and it is time to ramp the heart rate for the final couple of beats. That is when the feeling showed up that David warned me about (the "i want to hurl my guts right now" feeling). However, I was almost done, and I decided I could just gut it out. So I pushed through it and finished with a 27:32. Now, the fastest time of the day was something like 22:40, but my time did happen to be the best woman's time (ok, so there were only 4), and also faster than a lot of other guys, so I am feeling good about it!

The Echelon TT is a really nice venue. It's low-key, everyone is super nice and helpful, and it just has a good vibe. I'll definitely go back again! I highly recommend it for anyone who happens to be in Santa Barbara on the 2nd monday of the month at 5:45pm! Now I'm feeling solid about the bike...and ready to race Kern in a few days. Now I just have to let the legs recover from my long weekend rides and this hard effort.

Ciao!

on RAAM training! and monday ramblings

2007-05-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

Ok...so this weekend I was hanging out with my coach, Jill, and her teammates, who are in their final stages of training for RAAM (Race Across AMerica). Wow...talk about hard, my legs and body just hurt thinking about it. I attempted to tag along on one of their training rides this weekend, doing the "solvang loop", which is a 90+ (was 95 for me, but I rode some extra miles to meet up with them) loop which goes up the 101, through teh Gaviota tunnel, across to Solvang (bakery stop--yeah), and back over the san marcos pass (otherwise known as hwy 154). At the very end, we get the treat of my favorite descent, the Old San Marcos hill, a 3 mile, super fun technical descent (and killer climb going the other way). So this was a long ride for me, but I got a lot of paceline practice, as there were only 5 of us, and got a long tempo ride. I was afraid of holding them up, or just plain getting dropped, but thankfully my perseverence and ability to ride through pain paid off and I was not left in the dust. Not that I wasn't feeling the pain... It was about 50 miles in when my back started hurting on teh DESCENTS! I then realized that it was sore from all that TT bike riding...my darn hips are just not flexible enough. So I had to suffer through that dull ache any time I was tucked down from about mile 45-70. ON the last huge climb, it finally gave up and released, and then I got to enjoy the final few descents :-). Anyway, it was a fun day, the weather was cooperative, and I got to spend 5.5 hours on the bike, which was most fun.

On Sunday, I also did RAAM stuff, but it was a different kind of challenge. I helped them with a practice session. They were practicing rider transitions and the whole radio system...so I got to sit in a car and navigate. Most of the time I was a 'follow car' which meant that I got to give the rider directions, tell them when to turn, when we were blocking traffic, when a transisiton was coming up, as well as various jokes/comments about riding/other fun stuff to keep it light. We had a blast. I truly wish I was able to crew for them on the real thing (although sleeping at weird times, living in a van for 7 days, etc sounds brutal...but not as brutal as RIDING the thing), but alas a conference in France is taking me to Lyon for 8 days at the same time! Anyway, I have the biggest respect for that team of 4 women (the Kalyra Griffin Women's race team-Jill, Sonia, Denise, and Lisa) and what they are doing. They are doing this as a fundraiser for Girls, Inc!

I also got the pleasure of another team TT practice, to try and erase my bad attitude of days prior. THankfully the 2nd practice session went much better...I'm getting more used to the bike, and my teammates and I realized we're all learning this together (we're entering the team TT so-cal championships in a couple weeks) and that all of us had things to learn. Mostly I just had a big-time attitude adjustment, and things are once again rolling along (pun intended) on the 2 aero wheels.

Kern is in a few days! Not sure whether to be scared or excited...but as with most things in cycling, I jump in with both feet (er..wheels? pedals?), so I can't wait!

-Ciao!!

the first ride...

2007-05-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

So yesterday morning I took the TT bike out for its first ride. It was fun, once I got it out of the house! Getting air in the tires of the tri-spoke wheels took a little more effort than I thought it would, but thanks to a presta-schraeder adapter and my trusty compressor, that problem was solved (my floor pump head was too big to fit in the cutout on the wheel..). Getting used to the bike was fine, too. I felt sleek and fast on it, at least I looked fast (see earlier post on looking fast).

After about 20 minutes, I met up wtih 2 of my teammates. They wanted to practice team TT formation, as we have the so-cal/nevada TT team championships on June 2. (note to self: Do NOT try to learn to ride a new bike AND practice speedy TT formation on the same day!) Sure, I say, and off we go. Now, for people who know me that well know that I HATE being bad at something! I mean, really really hate it. So the fact that I had to listen to my teammates (who were trying to be nice and helpful) tell me all these pointers and trips was kind of infuriating! "your seat looks too high," "remember you can't brake when in the paceline," "signal when you're pulling off," "pull off closer," "steady when you pull through (i havent gotten the attachment to get the computer mounted on it yet...and since I'm so bad at gauging speed....this was most difficult)"...It wasn't that any of these comments are bad, or even non-useful! It is just that I am a fiercly independent person, and a bit stubborn, and I sometimes just have to figure things out for myself. Telling me things is all well and good, but until I figure out how something feels, etc...well, its just a moot point. It all just became too much. After about an hour of this I had had enough (well that, and certain parts of my anatomy are screaming bloody murder--2nd note to self: I need a new seat for this bike). Thankfully, a slightly bruised ego is all I have to show for it today. I am not sore, I feel good about the bike, and about the whole 'aero position,' and am once again looking forward to racing and to having fun with cycling.

I'll get to try it out for real in the club TT next Monday. The moment of truth...

On Awesome Friends and new TT bikes!

2007-05-09T16:39:00.000-07:00

This is the TT bike I will debut at Kern next week! I was lamenting yesterday, on the morning group ride (the same one where we almost got tickets) about how I was going to have to buy clip-on aero bars for my bike for the TT at Kern and for the Team TT championships. David, the guy I was talking to, just happened to have upgraded to a new TT bike recently, and still had his old one! And secondly, we were about the same size! So he graciously offered to loan me his TT bike (the one pictured above)! Cycling friends are the best...I mean, how often is it that people you only know from group rides (ok, and camping at Sea Otter) offer to loan you multi-thousand dollar items to go race with?

I went and picked up the bike last night. The only sad part about it was how sad his poor son was about letting the bike go! The child is nearly 4, completely adorable, and was happy and willing to talk to me...until he realized that I was taking the red bike with me! Upon hearing that, he started crying...it was really sad. I tried to explain (as did his father and mother) that I was only borrowing it, and that I would bring it back...but it didn't really work. His dad put it in the car and that was that. Poor kid...

Another friend of mine loaned me the carbon wheels...and now I'm all set! I brought it to the bike shop today, got it all set up, and took it for its inagural ride this afternoon. tomorrow it will go on a longer ride with some real efforts...

Anyway, I'm excited about my new toy..even if it is only a loaner. Maybe he'll make me a good deal on it...

Ciao!

why couldn't they just go for donuts?

2007-05-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

This morning, on our group ride, we had a run in with the local law enforcement...it was on the way back, after a lovely group ride, on a really warm sunny clear day. We were all having fun, and we were cooling down and chatting as we rode back. We made sure to stop at the lights in Summerland, notorious for bike tickets...although we didn't see anyone. Sometimes we see the cops there, as they like to catch cyclists (nothing better to do I guess). When we do see the cop on his motorcycle, and we are stopped, he always makes fun of us, saying things like "wow, cyclists stpped at a light, it's a miracle..." and things like that. Today, he must have just missed us, and decided to come after us by going on the freeway. We were headed back towards SB coming up to a stop sign, when someone alerted--MAKE SURE YOU STOP...there's a cop on the freeway... He was looking in at us from the freeway...(we were on a frontage road)! The front people didn't hear in time and rolled through...the rest of us stopped. Sure enough...at the next freeway exit we hear the sirens. He ended up just going after one guy...and the rest of us got to go. Ack! That was close!!! I guess it pays to be wearing the jersey of the ride...so that you won't be singled out! :-)

close call...I really didn't need to start out my day with a $200 ticket!!

A bit frustrating that they don't have anything better to do...where are they when cars do stupid things? Picking on the bikies is just not fair.

Ciao!

Mechanical Issue Solved!!!!

2007-05-07T15:40:00.000-07:00

Okay..so this is a tad embarassing...after switching out the following:

1. Large Chainring
2. Chain (from slightly used SRAM to brand new Shimano
3. Cables (pretty worn)
4. Little twisty thing (sometimes known as a 'barrel adjuster')

My bike finally works again! I'm quite certain now, that it was just the little barrel adjuster that was broken! I noticed it being a little 'loose' during the sea otter road race (when I was dropped and had nothing better to think about except why my bike wouldn't shift properly), and I just suggested that it be changed out after numerous other things had not worked. What was happening is the following: The bike would perform perfectly in the stand, and the cable could be adjusted correctly and all shifting would work fine. Then, a few shifts into the race it would stop shifting (i.e. the barrel adjuster was not holding the cable tension and it would slowly change (i.e. shorten) throughout the race), causing immense frustration from me. And then to compensate I would slam the shifter and because I was worried about it not shifting and I had the stop set too far out, the chain would throw right over the top (I have a compact, and a standard derailleur, so there is a gap between the chain ring and the derailleur--a gap that a perfectly tweaked chain can sneak through)! It all makes so much sense now. I have a brand new barrel adjuster (free from LBS-thanks Dave) and all is well!

So now my bike works perfectly...and I am trying not to think about what those races would have been like if I had had such nice crisp shifting then! I do think the Shimano chain ring and shimano chain did improve the shifting as well (although my bike does look silly with shimanos titanium-y looking chain ring, vs. the black carbony FSA crank...).

I will chalk this up to in-experience...and hope that everything I have learned about bike drivetrains will help me or someone else some day! And I'm sure that my trusty bike appreciates all the TLC it has been getting--it has been spotless and sparkling for weeks now!

Ranting about it made me feel better :-)
Ciao!

On Not Racing

2007-05-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

So this weekend there was no bike race! Ack! I was in withdrawal for awhile...but instead got to spend most of my weekend on the bike anyway, so it turned out well.

The weather could not have been more beautiful. The only downside is that due to my fair complexion and ability to burn/tan easily, my cycling tan gives away my addiction way too easily. I even have tan fingers with a big line where my short gloves end! Ack...I'm so not a fashion statement these days! But those leg muscles....

Anyway, I re-converge. So this weekend I got to remember how much fun the social rides are! (and tiring, too!). On Saturday, I started out with the normal Echelon ride. It was much bigger than the last few times I had attended, probably because there weren't any nearby races on Saturday. That ride is a reasonable pace through Santa barbara and Goleta, and then there is a rolling section that takes Cathedral Oaks out to Glen Annie, where there is usually a sprint. This week, the speed was not crazy--I was able to stay up near the front without working too hard. I like to be up front cause its' usually safer...but due to the slower speed this week we were all bunched up leading into what is usually the final sprint. As luck would have it, some contact was made and a couple people went down. No one was hurt though, and we were reminded that this really IS a training ride...and that the sprints don't matter THAT much! That excitement passed, and a small group of us headed out to Refugio road for some extra miles. It was a good ride, and I was pleased to see the fitness jump I've made since the last time I went out there. We were going at a reasonable tempo pace, and I didn't get dropped like a rock on the freeway like I used to! I was able to hang in and take advantage of the drafting and felt strong the whole ride. My total for that ride was about 65 miles. It was a beautiful day to be on the bike.

Sunday was another Echelon ride, this one organized out in the Valley. We did a nice figure-8 type loop around Los Olivos, hitting towns including Los Alamos, Sisquoc, solvang, and the wine trail of foxen canyon. Also a lovely ride, good pace, strong people to draft off of (key for me) and a lot of lovely climbing. My legs were feeling a bit beaten up by the end of that ride, as I had done a lot of climbing this weekend...but it was all fun. I met some new people (one of these days I'll actually learn the NAMES of the nice people I ride with), and had a great time. And plus, it's all good practice for Kern...as I'll have to get used to the repeated beating up of my body on that one!

So...although I didn't race this weekend, I did have a lot of fun social time on the bike..and I realized that I had kind of been missing that when I race all the time! I guess it takes a balance...just like most things in life.

Ciao!

Cycling and Life..waxing poetic

2007-05-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

so, I find myself not racing this weekend, and am using a little of that extra time I have not driving to the middle of nowhere to reflect on what cycling has done for me in the past 9 months. Last month, Trek had a contest where you had to write a 500 word email about what cycling has done for you. They seemed to be looking for women to test new products, be part of ads, etc. I certainly don't think I won the contest....but at least I can re-use the essay I wrote on my blog! :-) Of course I had a feeling I wouldn't win..because all the photos I sent them were me on my Giant Bike...not exactly showing brand support..oops!

Without further adieu...(with a few extra comments added in parenthesis):

Why would I be a good choice for a “Women Who Rides?” Well, because I love what cycling has done for me. In the past 9 months I have 1. Bought my first real road bike 2. Ridden about 6000 miles, 3. Finished my first race (and wasn't last...) 4. Placed well in every race I have entered, 5. Achieved the best fitness level of my entire life 6. Encouraged many other people to become passionate about cycling (the LBS loves me...I give them lots of business by convincing everyone around me to buy fancy bikes), 7. Crashed and came back stronger (broken collarbone, grade 3 separation, 1 broken rib, 2 weeks off the bike), and 8. Love to talk about bikes and all things cycling!

By many measures, 3 years ago I was successful. I was 31 years old, a tenured professor of Mechanical Engineering, living in Santa Barbara, and yet I was suffering from undiagnosed hypothyroidism. I was so tired all the time, about 30 pounds heavier than I wanted to be and I just attributed it to overworking. Thus began a journey of treatment, which was resolved in 2005. Now, you may ask, where does cycling fit into all this? This is where the story gets interesting!

Once I got my energy back, I started running to lose weight. I was running so much that I was a bit worried about ruining my knees. I had friends who cycled, and so completely out of the blue, on the 5th of July in 2006, I bought a road bike. The very next day, I headed for the biggest climb in the area (known for it’s similarity in grade to Alp d’Huez), and up I went! It was exhilarating. The next week, I showed up for the local racing club ‘women’s ride’, and had a blast. A couple weeks later, I went on the co-ed club group ride, and surprisingly could keep up on that, too! So of course the next thing to do was enter a race! It was the end of the season, but exactly one month to the day after buying my bike, I completed my first road race. It was a Pro/1/2/3/4 race with 4s scored separately, and little did I know how hard that would be! I ended up in 6th place, and completely hooked on racing!

In the fall I went to camp, and trained hard all winter, and have had good placements in my races so far this season and I'm having a great time! I’ve done a lot of things in my life, and I love to talk with people about most anything. Cycling is this huge new thing in my life, and a new outlet for stress-relief and enjoyment, on some of the best roads in the country. I have new friends all over the country that I would never have known without the bike (and even more through the blogs). I can’t even remember my life before cycling. I can’t believe what I had been missing out on for so long!

So why should I be a Trek ‘woman who rides?’ Well, because I ride! And it has changed my life.

ps. and on racing notes (since i'm not racing this weekend, I have to salute the people who are)... at the Tour of the Gila, my friend and mentor Dotsie Bausch won stage 3 yesterday! Yeah Dotsie, and best of luck in the GC (she is currently third after 3 stages). And my friend from bike camp, Christina, is racing the 3/4's race there, and after stage 1 yesterday is in third place! Yeah Christina! (she always could smoke me on the hills..)

On Looking Fast

2007-05-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Steve Weixel, my first stage race led to some nice cycling photos, if not the GC result I was hoping for! My friend, Ginger, upon seeing these photos, sent me an email saying "you sure look fast!" upon which I replied "well, maybe some day I will actually BE fast AND LOOK fast" to which, she replied "I didn't mean to say you WEREN'T fast already!"

Looking fast is half the battle, right??

Ciao!

Friends and weird places

2007-05-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of blogability this week--I've been at a nsf workshp in Reno. Let me just say that if you're not into gambling, Reno is really not a fun place! I couldn't even find good shopping, which is pretty much my second addiction (after bike racing). However, some of my really good friends were here, and so it was a good time to catch up (and play with mac photobooth).

I have also enjoyed 2 days off the bike! Ok...so I haven't really enjoyed them, but I'm trying to remember the mantra "your workout is only as good as your recovery" and thinking good recovering thoughts...

I am, however, craving my ride tomorrow...and also craving the cool SB air, the smell of the beach through my bedroom window, and the 6am cold wet nose on the face wakeup from my lovely early-rising irish setter, Aidan.

Ciao!